


Fate's Work

by gigio298



Series: It Should Be Just a School [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - X-Men Fusion, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-16
Updated: 2013-07-16
Packaged: 2017-12-20 08:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/885387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gigio298/pseuds/gigio298
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a X-Men AU with some plot twists and maybe a few surprises</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

 

~Somewhere in Lima, Ohio~

“No, no, no” the child was panting as yet another tissue came stained with blood. He threw it in the sink along with the others and retook the sandpaper, scratching his shoulder blades furiously. The protuberances growing there were nowhere next to vanish with the action, but he kept trying, ignoring the pain and the blood.

“Kurt? Kurt, open the door” his father was knocking on the door

“Just a second” the boy responded, trying to sound normal, but failing miserably

“Kurt, what’s wrong? Kurt, open this door, now!” his father said, banging on the door

The boy tried to clean the bathroom as fast as he could, throwing the tissues stained with blood, and the small feathers that fell from the cuts in his back, in the toilet, but couldn’t do it fast enough. His father barged in, finding his 8 year old son, shirtless and crying, with the sandpaper in his hand, and two cuts on his shoulder blades dripping blood, the fain sign of feathers growing around them.

“Oh, Kurt, what did you do?” the father said, kneeling before his son for a closer look

“I’m sorry, dad, I’m sorry” the kid cried, accepting his father hug

“It’s okay, it’s okay” the father whispered, holding his son close “We’ll figure out what’s happening”

 

 

~Paris, France~

 

“Sebastian, dinner is ready” the woman yelled from downstairs

“Coming, mom” the boy replied

He was sitting in the floor of his room, staring intently at the line he made with his action figures and Hotwheels. His forehead was tense with concentration and his whole body was shaking; he was about to give up when the first of his Max Steel shook slightly. He doubled his concentration and the toy shook with more strength, until it finally shot up, hitting the roof and falling back to the floor. Sebastian relaxed, grinning with his success and leaving the room. He planned on eating as fast as possible and hide in his room, to continue his practice.

 

 

~New York City~

 

“Stop it, Rachel, cut it out” the boy was a laughing mess in the floor, his curls seating crazily in his hair and his pajamas completely ruined.

The girl was sitting on the couch while her twin brother was rolling on the floor, fighting the imaginary tickle attack she was giving him; the boy, for his turn, was creating a peaceful and happy feeling around the room. Their parents were watching they play from the couch, hugging and smiling, until their mom announced it was time for bed

“But mom…” Rachel tried to protest, her brother seating up and pouting his lips

“No – the woman continued, firmly – it’s late and your grandparents arrive tomorrow. Don’t make me call Cooper” she playfully threatened

Rachel promptly got up, but her brother remained sitting and with his lips pouted; he twisted his head and suddenly the feeling in the room changed: it was now cold and desolated, like someone had died

“No, Blaine, that’s enough” another voice came in, and the boy looked up to see his older brother, untouched by the change, look intently at him

“I don’t want to, Coop” he said, sadly

“Sorry, baby B, it’s time for bed” Copper said, and the second part of the sentence had a double tone to it, and Blaine immediately got up and followed his sister to the room

“I hate when this happens” their father said

“Me too – Cooper agreed – but we’ll explain everything to them when we understand it too”

 

~Frankfort, Kentucky~

The boy was standing in front of the mirror, staring into the eyes that weren’t his. His eyes were dark blue, while the ones staring back were light green. He closed his eyes for a second and, when he opened them again, the eyes reflected in the mirror were deep brown. He was also taller; his body was now the body of a teenager. He heard a knock on the door and closed his eyes, going back to his original shape.

“Sam, ready for bed?” his mom asked, a book in her hands

“Yes, mommy” he said, jumping on the bed

His mom took a seat next to his bed, ran her hands through his soft blond hair, and began reading. He wasn’t listening; his mind was far away, dreaming about the things he discovered that day. He remembered his teacher saying that boys and girls usually began discovering things about their bodies with his age, but he could bet no-one, ever, discovered the things he did. Eventually, he fell asleep, and his mom left, turning the light off. She couldn’t see though, with the lights out, that her son’s hair was no longer blonde; it was now deep red.

 

 

“Los Angeles, California~

 

“Entra, chica, it’s raining” the old lady was telling the young girl who was dancing with the rain drops

“No, abuela – the girl half sang, half said – look” she raised her hands and her eyes sparkled with white light. The rain stopped immediately and was replaced by snow, the flakes falling like it was December, steady and not melting. The old lady gasped, and whispered “Stop it, ahora!”

Once again, the girl raised her arms and her eyes turned white; the snow stopped like the rain. It was now pleasantly warm, like it should be this time of the year. The girl entered the house, not seeing her grandma make the sign of the cross.

 

 

~Boston, Massachusetts~

“I’ll race you” the teenage boy said

“You’ll never win” his little sister said, in a high pitched voice

They got set and the boy made the countdown, his sister running ahead of time. He let her think that she was winning before catching up; when he was almost by her side, a loud crack was heard and he was pushed aside by a strong force. He retook his balance and looked around, only to find his sister standing on the edge of the lake, in the other shore, something about 2 miles away.

“Tina!” he screamed, desperate

“Mikey” she screamed back, laughing. Another loud crack was heard and, with a loud pop, she was standing right next to him, hugging his legs “I’m hungry” she said, holding her tummy

“Come on – he said, in shock – let’s go find mom and dad”

 

 

~North Salem, Westchester County, New York~

The man was standing in an oval room, with mirrored walls. A single platform was raised in the center, instead of a floor. The man removed the helmet like object he was wearing, and it was retracted to the ceiling automatically. He turned around and left the room, being greeted by a middle-aged woman who was waiting outside

“So, professor – she said – what did you found?”

“I found – he said, calmly – the we have some work to do”

 

 


	2. Coming Together

 

~10 years ago~

“I’m sorry – the woman was saying, hesitantly –I don’t understand”

The professor took a deep breath and explained again, patiently

“Your kids were born with extraordinary gifts, Mrs Anderson. These gifts come from a genetic mutation in their DNA, obviously. Mutations are the key of evolution, it took us from single cells organisms to the dominant life form in the planet and it is still occurring”

“But this…this mutations, are they something we did wrong?” She asked, concerned

“No, of course not – he said, firmly – they happen naturally. But, since your three children are mutants, I strongly believe that the DNA of you and your husband have a predisposition to rearrange in such a way”

“Does that mean we are freaks?” the oldest boy said

“Not at all – the professor answered – it means that you are the next step in human evolution” “ _And that we are the key to the future”_

The boy shook his head and the professor winked at him. He then realized that the second part was just for him, and somehow the professor said it in his mind, which meant he was also a mutant.

“So, you are a professor who understands these sorts of mutations and you want to take our kids to a special school?” The father said, speaking for the first time

“Exactly. My school is an ordinary school, but it has the capacity of, among the regular things, teach your children how to control and use their abilities for the good”

“It is a boarding school” the father said, reassuring himself

“Yes, it is, but you can come and visit anytime you like.” The professor said

“And there are no summer vacations?” Mr. Anderson asked

“I’m afraid not. Not all our students have a home to come back to, you see. But, by all means, if your kids want to spent summer with you, they’ll have full liberty. We can even provide transportation for them”

The family sat in silence for a while and the professor patiently for more questions. They have all been the same so far, all the families he visited, so he was used to it. They all hesitated to be away from their kids, but ultimately they understood that this was the best from them; being close to those similar to them and being able to learn about themselves and make friends, and still have the possibility to go to college in the future, which was a major concern for most.

“How much will this cost us?” the father asked, at last

“That’s the best part – the professor said, smiling – absolutely nothing”

“What?” he asked again, surprised

“We are fully supported by the government, as long as we keep a student limit – the professor explained – and I still have three more openings to fulfill.”

“Well, it all seems alright to me” Mr. Anderson said “What do you think, guys?”

The kids sat in silence for a while, looking at each other. The twins sat holding hands, and the older boy had a daydream expression; using his talents, the professor gently touched his mind, and saw what the boy was imagining: being free, having friends and looking after his younger siblings. The professor smiled and retreated to his own mind, but he saw the younger boy flinch in his seat; curious, he projected his mind towards the boy’s and heard him thinking

“ _I can feel you. I can protect my thoughts, you know, but I’m not going to. I’m just going to ask you to give us some privacy”_

Surprised, the professor did as the boy asked and smiled at him, to let him know that it was all right. This all happened in a matter of seconds, and the older boy said

“I want to go. Mom, dad, I really, really want to go. But only if you guys – he said, turning to his siblings – go with me”

“I’ll go – the other boy said – I want to, too”

The girl was the most silent and hesitant of the three, and looked positively shy now that all the eyes in the room were upon her. Her twin squeezed her hand lightly and she found some confidence

“I’m going too – she said weakly, and then again, stronger – I’m going too”

“Excellent – the professor said, clapping his hands and getting up – I was counting on you. Now, you’ll receive the letter with all the other details we might have forgotten in a few days, and it will explain how you’ll get there. Since you leave close, you’ll probably go with the bus”

The parents walked the professor to the door while the kids chatted excitedly, and the mother asked in a whisper

“Will you take good care of our kids?”

The professor felt it was a real concern of hers, and she was fighting to ask this question away from the kids. He held her hands for a brief second and said, reassuringly

“With my life, I promise”

With that, he left, meeting the middle-aged woman waiting for him by the lift doors

“So?” she asked

“They are coming too, the three of them.” He said, happily

~Present time~

“Come on, Seb, you can do it” Blaine was shouting at his friends

“It’s easy for you to say” Sebastian answered in a struggled voice

He was fighting for the last hour to lift a huge rock using his mind. They were in the training grounds of the Mansion, were students were scattered all round, practicing their abilities. Blaine saw a boy throwing spikes that grew out of his hands, trying to hit a target; a girl with white hair shooting lightning from her arms; another boy was changing his appearance, impersonating his friends and getting laughs and applauses with every transformation. He turned his attention back to Sebastian, who had both of his hands raised and the whole face frowned and extremely blushed from the concentration. Still, the rock was stubborn and refused to raise more than two inches from the ground. Eventually, he gave up and let himself fall seated next to Blaine.

“I can’t do it – he said, out of breath – it’s too damn heavy”

“You are concentrating wrong – Blaine said – I could feel you. You were too angry and irritated, and that got on the way. If you could find a place of true concentration, somewhere between rage and serenity, you could have a power unmatchable”

“Wise words, Mr. Anderson” a voice came from behind them. They got up quickly to greet The Professor, who was overhearing their conversation “I couldn’t say it better myself” he finished, making Blaine blush

“Do you agree with him, Mr. Smythe?” the professor then asked Sebastian

“I…I guess so – Sebastian said, slowly – Well, he knows my feelings better than I do. It’s just that…I get so frustrated when I can’t do something and because of that I get weaker and more frustrated and it goes on and on”

“I’m sure your friend Blaine could help you controlling your feelings?” The professor said, turning to Blaine

“I could – Blaine said – but I don’t like interfering with other people’s feelings without their consent. I like to feel the atmosphere around me and learn from it”

“Another demonstration of wisdom from you, Mr. Anderson, I’m very impressed – the professor said – but, now that you have the opportunity to help your friend, it would also be wise to ask him for that consent, so you can both learn something.”

A shadow passed through them and they looked up; a young man was flying over the courtyard, his wings as white as snow, glowing with the morning sun. The boy waved at the professor and turned north, flying towards the Mansion’s rooftop

“Now, if you’ll excuse me – the professor said – Mr. Hummel is waiting for me” he gave the boys a handshake and left

“So, ready to work?” Sebastian said, turning to face Blaine

“Always – Blaine said, smiling – can I…you know, help you?”

“Please do” Sebastian said.

He took the spot again and raised his hand, concentrating on the rock. Like the other times, the rock refused to move and Sebastian’s face got more and more red. Blaine stepped forward and held Sebastian’s other hand, and the boy’s feelings invaded his conscience. Feelings of anger and frustration were dominant, but Blaine also felt sadness and disappointment that Sebastian tried to hide. Breathing deeply and closing his eyes, Blaine concentrated on what he wanted Sebastian to feel: happiness, friendship, and serenity. Feelings that would negate the negative ones Sebastian was feeling right now and, luckily, unleashed his true power. Blaine felt as his ability began overpowering Sebastian’s feelings and he felt his friend relax. Opening his eyes, Blaine saw that Sebastian had closed his own and that his face was no longer frowned. The rock, however, was hovering in the air, higher than the both of them; Sebastian opened his eyes and yelled with joy. Turning his hand slightly, he made the rock move in circles around them, still 10 feet up in the air; another flick of his fingers and the rock began moving in loops.

“Dude, hey, dude” the boy who could change his appearance was calling them “Throw it over that hoop”

“What hoop?” Sebastian yelled back

“The one Hunter is going to make now – the boy yelled again, turning to one of his friends – Hunter, come on, man”

The boy named Hunter got up, also smiling, and, raising his hands, made a giant 16 foot high hoop made of flames appear out of thin air

“Are we playing quidditch with rocks, now?” Sebastian yelled, making all those who were watching laugh

“I can’ hold this forever, dude – Hunter yelled – just do it already and bring Slytherin the cup”

Sebastian smiled and pushed with his hands; the rock flew across the yard and passed right into the hoop, ending up in the lake behind them.

The two boys they were screaming with came to greet them, still smiling

“Dude, that was awesome – the blonde guy who could disguise himself as anyone was saying – Sam Evans” he raised his hand

Sebastian took it and said “I’m Sebastian Smythe, and this is my friend, Blaine Anderson”

Blaine also shook the boy’s hand and turned to the other guy, who was a few steps back

“Clarington – the boy said, also shaking their hands – Hunter Clarington. Would you have dinner with us tonight?”

“Absolutely – Blaine said – If I may, what is that that you made with fire?”

Hunter blushed slightly “Oh – he said – I can influence the four elements: water, earth, fire and air. It is similar to what you do, Sebastian, but your telekinesis is way more powerful than I could ever be”

It was Sebastian’s turn to blush “But by no means, cooler” he said

“You know what is pretty cool? – Sam said, and then he closed his eyes. In a second, Blaine was looking at another Sebastian Smythe, and he couldn’t tell them apart – Confusing everybody” he finished and won himself another round of applause

“I must say – Sebastian said, looking at his duplicate – I look quite dashing in this uniform”

The boys laughed but the sound was muffled by the school bells, ringing to announce it was time for the first class of the day. They said their goodbyes and went to their respective classes

“What do you think of them?” Sebastian asked Blaine as they walked to their History class

“They were sincere – Blaine said – but there was something about that Hunter guy that I could really understand”

“Great – Sebastian said, opening the door and holding it for Blaine – I love me a mystery” he said with a wink, and Blaine laughed as they took their seats.

 

 


	3. The Association

 

That night, they had dinner with the President of The United States. The whole dining hall went silent as he barged through the doors and walked directly to the faculty table; some people managed to get up in respect, others were too shocked to even breathe. Blaine watched from where he was sitting with Sebastian by his side, both of them too astonished to even share a concerned look. The professor tilted his head sideways as the President approached him, grinning slightly with the corner of his mouth.

“Excuse me, professor – the President said – But I am requiring your sit”

“I’m sorry, Mr. President – the professor said, amused – but I’m inclined to refuse”

The students held their breath; surely the professor didn’t understand what was going on. The President of the United States was demanding, politely, his sit. He should get up immediately and even clean it for the man. However, he sat still, with that amused look on his face.

“I see – the President said – luckily, for you, I am in a mood for dancing and luckily, for me, my wife agreed to join”

In a split second, the President was gone and his wife was now where he stood. She twirled alone around the room and stopped by Hunter’s said; grabbing his hand, she pulled him and made him dance with her.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by a collective laugh that sounded like a roar; Hunter looked positively embarrassed until he got the joke, when the First Lady turned herself into a famous actress and said “Maybe this is more of your liking”.

The student’s laughed harder and Hunter tried to hide his blushed face; the teachers and some students were standing on their chairs and benches, all of them clapping and whistling. Sebastian raised his hand and made the dancing couple float around the room, still dancing to the soft waltz someone managed to play. The sounds of surprise were muffled by the claps and screams; the lady dancing with Sebastian winked at him and, in homage, turned into him. The students clapped and whistled louder, but Blaine was watching Hunter. Expanding his influence, Blaine slightly brushed against Hunter’s aura, not wanting to be invasive, but curious; he was taken by surprise by Hunter’s new feelings. He couldn’t even understand all of them, as they were extremely confusing and overlapping each other, so he retreat and looked away. Even though they were confusing, those feelings had a similar tone, and Blaine could tell they were caused by Sebastian.

Eventually, the Professor ended the joke and Sebastian lowered the two of them back to the floor: Hunter blushing and Sam returning to his normal self and bowing to the applauses.

“That was, indeed, an outstanding dinner entertainment, Mr. Evans – the Professor said – but try to tone it down the next time. The President, really?”

“You see, sir – Sam said, copying the professor’s accent and, of course, his appearance – you wouldn’t believe me if I turned into the second greatest figure of authority for us”

The professor pated Sam’s shoulders lightly and laughed

“I wouldn’t, really – he said – but then again, I wouldn’t believe you either way. You have a very distinct mind, Mr. Evans.”

They laughed one last time before the Professor asked them to return to their sits and finish dinner; Blaine and Sebastian sat back where they were and were joined by Hunter and Sam. They talked amenities and shared a few jokes, but Blaine was quietly paying attention to Hunter. The way he acted and talked around Sebastian, but it all seemed pretty normal; Blaine refused to touch Hunter’s feelings again and it frustrated him.

Luckily, he didn’t have much time to be frustrated; a few minutes before the bells rang and they went to bed, the professor stopped by their table and said, in a low voice

“I would like the four of you to stay behind after the bells rang, please. I have a matter and would like to discuss it with you” he said and left after they all agreeing in staying behind, and they immediately began discussing what that matter could possibly be.

The bells couldn’t ring soon enough and, when they did, the students couldn’t move fast enough. Eventually, the hall was empty, except for the four of them, the professor himself, and a few other students. Blaine looked around and saw that those other students were also invited by the professor to stay behind; among them, Blaine spotted his brother and his sister; the girl who was shooting lightning bolts earlier this morning; the boy with the beautifully feathered wings; and a few others he didn’t recognize.

The professor waved them, signalizing to group at the center of the hall; Sebastian raised his hand again and pushed the tables away gently, with his mind, forming an empty space for them to talk.

“Thank you, Mr. Smythe” the professor said once they were all together

“Now – the professor started – I know you may not know each other, even though you share some classes, but the time to introductions will come later, since we have a more urgent matter at our hands”

The students looked at each other, the same question stamped in their eyes; they didn’t have time to enunciated, though, because the professor continued talking

“There is a man, out there, a mutant like us. He’s gathering young mutants, not to teach them, like I did, but to fight. He believes it is our duty to step out of anonymity and claim this world as ours, because he believes we are more evolved than the humans. Indeed, we are, but that is no reason to murder millions of innocents in an empty quest. We do not hide from humans out of fear, we hide for wisdom; there are some out there who would like to hurt us or use us for profit, and we can’t accept that. But, it’s not all of them, so we help the others in secret. Sorry, I’m out of the point – he said, smiling – I am asking you, unfairly, I know, to help me defend the innocent and the weak. I am asking you to help me stop him. Believe me when I say that I never believed it would come to this, when I visited your houses and your families. I never wanted to compromise my student’s safety, but you are no longer children. You all have grown to be wonderful young adults, and I am confident you can use your talents for a good cause. I ask you this, specifically, not just because you are the older ones here, but also the most talented; what I have seen each of you do is beyond whatever dream I had when I first met you. So, I am asking you, not making you, to help me; if you won’t, out of fear or something else, know that you are free to go, of course. But I need to ask you: will you help me?”

The group stood in silence for a while, digesting everything they heard. Blaine was feeling scared, because he didn’t know how he could be of any help; he step aside to hold Rachel’s hand, like he used to when they were kids, and they shared their feelings like they used to. He felt Rachel’s own fear mingle with his, but he also felt a strong determination, a sense of righteousness coming from Rachel. He understood where that was coming from, the wish to do right for their lost fellows, the young kids that man was gathering to fight for him. Letting go of Rachel’s hand, Blaine held Sebastian’s and felt almost the same things he did from Rachel, but there was a small anger Sebastian was trying to hide deep down. Blaine raised a questioning eyebrow, but Sebastian shrugged it off, and Blaine knew he would explain it later.

“I’ll do it” the winged boy said, stepping forward

“Me too” the lightning girl said

“And me” Sebastian stepped forward too

Eventually, one by one they all agreed to help the professor and the man’s happiness could only be matched by the pride he was feeling for his students, Blaine felt.

“Excellent” the professor said, clapping his hand once “Thank you, all of you. If you could follow me” he said and turned around, walking towards the faculty table at the end of the hall

“Excuse me, sir – Hunter said – aren’t we returning to our rooms?”

“Not anymore, Mr. Clarington – the professor said, smiling – you will all be designed to new facilities. Also, you are all dismissed form every school and class related obligation. It’s not fair for me to ask you to fight, it would be even less so if I ask you to maintain your good grades”

They laughed briefly and followed the professor; behind the faculty table existed a hidden door the professor opened by pressing a determined spot on the wall. The door slid open and they followed the professor through a long hallway, beautifully decorated like the rest of the mansion, and filled with locked doors on both sides. The professor didn’t stop at any of them, and walked straight to the apparent dead end of the corridor; pressing another hidden spot behind a painting, the wall they were facing spun around and showed a cleverly concealed elevator, big enough to transport all of them with comfort. The professor pressed another button and the lift began its descend, faster than normal lifts and smoother.

 In a few seconds, the lift stopped and they got out and were greeted by the sight of a huge jet plane that had a very sharp and highly technological appearance; Sam whistled with amazement and they all stopped to admire the aircraft. Only when the professor called them, they resume following him; they walked through the rest of the hangar, which was huge, and found themselves in a new corridor, this one less comfortable than the ones in the mansion, and more like a laboratory instead, with laminated floor and plain white walls. Again, locked doors could be found at each side of the corridor but the professor ignored them again. Finally they reached a vast circular room that looked like the most comfortable place in this area; a big, also circular couch dominated the center of the room, along with a very comfortable looking carpet and some armchairs. Some arcade games and a Ping-Pong table gave the final touch to one of the coolest living rooms Blaine had ever seen; another corridor continued could be seen on the other side of the room, but Blaine knew the professor would tell them where it led.

“This is it – the professor said when they all took their seats – this is our ‘operations center’. I asked Regina to make everything ready for you and I hope it’s in your liking. Through that corridor you will find your individual rooms, your names are on the doors and your possessions are already there”

“Excuse me – the lightning girl said – but how are our things there if you didn’t know we were accepting?”

“Excellent question, Ms. Lopez – the professor said, and tapped his temple with his index finger – I told Regina to you were coming as soon as you agreed”

She nodded and walked around the room like she owned the place; Blaine thought it was a little unusual but he liked the girl and hoped they could be friends. The professor interrupted his thoughts

“Now, I am going to leave you alone. Please, make yourselves at home, since this space is yours. You could use this time to get to know each other and have some fun but, remember, we start early tomorrow. Good night” he said and left.

Immediately, they all sat more comfortably, even some took of their shoes and laid back on the armchairs, and began talking. One of the best things about getting to know another mutant is to ask what they can do, even if it is a little personal sometimes. Sebastian went first, since almost everybody knew what he could do, so he introduced himself and made Blaine’s armchair fly around the room, with Blaine still in it, and won himself another round of applause. Blaine went after, since most of them didn’t understand his power; he expand his reach through the room and made everybody feel happy and welcomed, pushing the shyness of some away. Rachel and Cooper followed him, and used him to “demonstrate” their powers, since neither of them felt comfortable using their powers on other people without permission. Rachel made Blaine feel tickles, and then blinded him, making him see a beach instead of the room and people around him, using only his mind. Cooper used the double tone on his voice to make Blaine dance around the room singing show tunes.

Hunter stepped up after Cooper got his round of applause and sat back; he walked to the center of the room and introduced himself awkwardly and Blaine thought it sounded like they were some sort of Alcoholic Anonymous

“Hi, I’m Hunter, and I can influence the four elements: water, earth, fire and air” he said and Sebastian must have shared the same thought because he immediately responded

“Hi, Hunter” making everybody laugh and Hunter blush

“Okay, pretty face, you told what you can do. Now show us” the Lopez girl said and Hunter nodded. He raised his hand and spun it around in small circles, and a tiny tornado made entirely of air formed in his palm. He blew it and it jumped from his hand to the table, making some magazines fly away; he waved his hand and the tornado disappear and it was his time to get a round of applause

“Okay, pretty face – he said, copying the Lopez girl – show us what you got”

She promptly got up and took his place in the center “My name is Santana – she said – and I control the weather” she raised her hands and her eyes sparkled with white light, and all of them exclaimed in surprise when snow started to fall from the ceiling.

“What about the lightning bolts?” Blaine asked, not able to refrain himself

Santana made it stop snowing and smiled at Blaine “I’m still practicing that, puppy face – she said – and it wouldn’t be safe to do it here”

The next one up was an Asian girl named Tina who teleported herself around the room and got the loudest ovation so far; after that, her brother, Mike, demonstrated his super speed, running to the hangar and back in two short seconds. After them, Sam made another, yet unnecessary, demonstration of his ability to transform himself in any person; The winged boy, Kurt, went next and showed off his beautiful wings and answered several questions, most of them were a variation of “can you carry me?” to which he responded politely, saying he could carry another person easily, giving they are not too heavy, since he had an above average strength; after him, there were three people left to introduce themselves: a boy and two girls.

The boy got up, still feeling shy despite Blaine’s influence, and said

“Hello, my name is Ethan. I can heal myself and others pretty fast” he then pulled a small knife from his pocket. All eyes were fixed on him as he cut open his hand, and the blood spilled like crazy for about two seconds; in a blink of an eye, the cut was completely healed and not even a scar was left behind. He smiled shyly as another ovation exploded and he cleaned his hand with a tissue

“Does anybody wanna try?” he asked, more confident now, showing the knife

“I do” Sam said, getting up and offering the boy his hand. The boy smiled and took it “Thank you for your trust in me” he said before cutting open Sam’s hand like he did his own. Sam winced in pain but the boy kept Sam’s hand firmly between his own. They all watched, amazed, and the cut closed completely with Ethan’s touch, his hands glowing slightly. “That was awesome” Sam said before patting the boy’s shoulder and sitting back; Ethan followed him and one of the girls got up and took his place

“Hi everybody – she said, waving – my name is Amanda and I’m from Portland”

“Hi, Amanda – Sebastian repeated the joke – and what can you show us tonight?”

She smiled affectionately at him and said “Well, nothing” and disappeared into thin air. They all looked around, imagining she had teleported, but she reappeared at the exact same spot

“Invisibility – Sebastian said – nice”

She smiled again, even brighter, and said “Yes, but there’s one other thing I’ve been practicing”. Raising her hands, she constructed a semi-invisible force field around her, like a bubble only visible through a certain angle

“Hey, that is so cool – Hunter said, getting up – are you confident with this shield?” he asked and she nodded. He created a small ball of fire in his hand and threw it at her; the fire dissipated immediately with a spark and she lowered her hands, the shield disappeared and she looked exhausted

“That drains my energy – she said – I can only hold it for a few seconds, less when I actually have to defend myself, like now”

“Don’t worry -Sebastian said – this morning I couldn’t make a rock levitate an inch off the ground, tonight I can make people fly like ballerinas. It’s just practice” she smiled again and sat back in the couch. They all looked at the last girl when she got up and stood in the middle of the room

“Well – she said – my name is Kara and I can see the future” she said, quickly

“Wait, how?” Mike asked, interested

“I don’t know – she said – it comes to me, in visions and dreams. But it’s more complex than it looks. The future is always changing, since it is based on the million choices one makes all the time. For instance, if I tried to see your future, particularly, I could have an idea of what is going to happen, but couldn’t tell for sure until you make a definitive decision.”

“I see – Mike said, amazed – but can you see, like, lottery results?”

Kara smiled “Yes, easily. That’s why my parents are living comfortably in a big house outside London” they all laughed and began shooting questions at her, each of them wanting to know about their futures and she did their best trying to answer them all, but she was limited; she could only say for sure what was going to happen tomorrow, after that her visions got hazy and she said it was because there were important decisions and events that would affect their futures.

Eventually, they got tired and went looking for their rooms; Blaine was happy to see that is room was right next to Sebastian’s. After completing his nightly routine, he laid on his new bed and expanded his aura, touching Sebastian’s and letting him know he was there. He felt Sebastian’s gratitude and happiness and they shared their feelings until Blaine felt Sebastian fall asleep. Pretty soon, Blaine fell asleep too, imagining what the next day had prepared for them. 


	4. Training Sessions

 

The morning found them regrouping in the living room, where they were expected by the professor’s right hand, Ms. Oswald, or Regina, as she asked. She waited patiently until all of them had finished breakfast before getting to business

“Today, we will proceed to the training area next door, where the professor, I and our other faculty members will evaluate your development so far. Please, don’t be nervous, this is not a school thing at all. We just want to know where we can help you the most with your abilities”

Once they were ready, she led them through the corridor to the first door on the right; inside, a vast room that was a crossover between a modern gym and hangar; equipment such as treadmills and wave-lifting sets stood nearest to the door, while giant hoops hung from the unusual high ceiling; the rest of the space was poorly used, so they had a lot of free area to practice their other powers. Sebastian whistled as they walked through the door and the sound echoed throughout the cave like academy, and the adults there turned to greet them.

The professor was in the front of the group, and greeted tem politely as always; then, unnecessarily introduced the other men and women with him, since they were all their teachers and respected scientists. He explained that even though the teachers weren’t mutants, their understanding of mutations was extraordinary and they, along with himself and Regina, were the best bet on developing their powers.

“Now, you can go and use the space freely, for now, as Regina and I start with Mr. Anderson, here” the Professor said, waving with his hands. Blaine found himself alone with the Professor and Regina.

“Blaine – she started – one of my abilities is to discover other people’s abilities and their limits. I would like to start with you, is that okay?”

“Yes, sure” Blaine said, simply

“Give me your hand” she asked and he did. She held his hand with both of hers and closed her eyes. Blaine could feel her influence, her presence poking lightly at the very center of his being; it lasted for a few short seconds, though, and she let go of his hand

“It’s beautiful, Blaine – she said – you are so influenced by the emotions in a room, but your ability to block them out and even control other people’s emotions is remarkable”

“Thank you – he said – but I can only control people’s emotions when I physically touch them”

“No, of course not. You already discovered that you can influence the general atmosphere of the room? – She asked smiling, and proceeded when he nodded – but that’s just the beginning. Your power is greater than you think, Blaine. You can make all the people in a vast area to feel what you want them to feel, with no need for physical contact”

Blaine pondered for a moment before asking “But, isn’t that wrong? Controlling people’s feelings without their consent? Like, what if I make a whole building feel so depressed they all commit suicide?”

“That’s a very good point, Blaine – the professor stepped in – and we are lucky that a gift such as yours was born with such a wise person. Yes, it is wrong to use it in the way you said, but think about this: if this comes to a fight, you can use your gift to make those attacking us to feel so demotivated they lose their will to fight, so nobody gets hurt”

“Well, that’s a good thing” Blaine said, imagining such scenario

“Yes, it is – the professor said, smiling – so practice your ability free of guilty. When the time comes, I am confident you will use it wisely”

Blaine smiled and went to a quiet corner to practice his power; he expanded his aura until he was touching all the people in the room, and all their different emotions flooded in until he was able to control and tell apart which emotion belonged to who; he then tried to impose a determined feeling, happiness in this case, to all the presents, but it was the hardest thing he’d ever done.

Meanwhile, Regina and the professor kept calling their names one by one; as it turned out, almost none of them had full knowledge about their powers. Rachel always assumed she could only target one person at a time while controlling their senses, which was not true; Cooper didn’t need to speak to command someone, he could do it with his mind; if done properly, Santana could create air drafts strong enough to make her fly; so could Hunter, and he could do it while controlling all the other elements at the same time; Tina could teleport more people with her and, theoretically, had no distance limit to her teleport, but she needed to see her destination in first person before traveling there, if even through pictures; Mike could run over water as easily as over ground; Sam could also turn into animals, a piece of news that made all the presents face palm in reaction to Sam’s face and the new possibilities for pranks; Kurt could not only fly and carry heavier weights than most people, but could also see a person's aura, a variation of Blaine’s power; Ethan heal himself and others, but he could also steal the health of others through touch and kill them in the process, a news that he took pretty hard, face his responsibility; Amanda’s force fields could be as big as a house, if she could focus hard enough; Kara’s precognition remained a mystery, though, and Regina suggested that mediation could help her.

Finally, once they were all tired and ready for some deserved rest, Sebastian’s name was called. By this time, all of them were sitting next to Regina and listening to her tips and news to the ones being evaluated. She asked for Sebastian’s hand and he offered it to her, she held it and immediately let go with a surprised scream, like she had been burned by the contact.

Suddenly all eyes looked up, and everyone’s face reflect Regina’s surprised expression; the professor put a hand on her shoulder, but she was paralyzed, covering her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide open and staring at Sebastian, who retreated his hand slightly, a sad guilty look in his eyes.

“I…I never…it’s not possible” Regina started, a few seconds later

“What happened?” The professor asked, calmly

“I never felt so much power – she said, after regaining her senses – it shouldn’t be possible, for anyone, to be this powerful” her look was now curious rather than shocked

“Me? – Sebastian asked, jokingly – I am impossibly powerful?”

“Oh, my dear boy - she said and took his hand once more, letting go just as quickly – I can’t even feel all of your ability without pain” she took a step back

“What can he do? Really?” The professor asked, also curious

Regina took a moment to answer “Everything” and, with that, she left the room, leaving all of them in shock, but no one more than Sebastian.

Eventually, the professor gave them the afternoon off and said they could do as they please, as long as they didn’t leave the underground and, after Sam raised his hand, he also said they couldn’t touch the jet plane.

They returned to their rooms to shower and change clothes and met again in the living room. They were all sitting in pairs or trios discussing their morning; Kara was sitting alone in a corner, trying to meditate; Mike and Santana were trying to convincing Sam to turn into a dog; Rachel, Cooper and Ethan were just talking on the floor; Kurt and Blaine were sitting in a corner of their own, discussing people’s auras that they both could see; Tina and Amanda went back to the training area to see if Tina could teleport herself in one of Amanda’s force fields; and Sebastian sat alone in another corner until Hunter came and joined him

“Still shocked?” he asked, innocently

“Try ‘in denial’ – Sebastian joked – yesterday I couldn’t lift a rock and today that crazy lady is telling me that I’m ‘impossibly powerful’? Please”

“I believe you are – Hunter said, to Sebastian’s surprise – but I think you are imagining your power like a muscle, the way I used to when I first got here.”

“What do you mean?” Sebastian asked

“Your power is not a muscle you can make stronger with practice – Hunter explained – you need take down the walls inside your head and let your power run free, without forcing it”

“Huh – Sebastian said – Blaine told me something like that”

“And he was right – Hunter said – once you do this, you could pretty much do everything. Think with me: your power is telekinesis, telekinesis is the ability to control matter with thought, and everything is made of matter. Got it?” he was smiling, and now Sebastian was too

“I think so – Sebastian answered, hesitantly – but I still don’t know how to tear down these walls you were talking about”

“I’ll help you with it – Hunter said, patting on his shoulder – and I’m sure your friend Blaine could help us”

Sebastian glanced at Blaine and smiled at how happy he looked while talking to Kurt; he was aware of Blaine’s feeling towards him, since Blaine couldn’t hide them very well, and he was hoping Blaine would find someone who could give them what he couldn’t.

“I think he’s going to be busy for the next few days” Sebastian said, smiling and pointing at Blaine and Kurt.

Hunter looked and smiled too “Good for him – he said – going after what he wants”

“Why don’t you? - Sebastian asked – Go after what you want, I mean?”

Hunter looked down and thought about it for a minute before answering

“I don’t know what I want, yet”

“Then you need to figure it out, they are not going to wait for you forever” Sebastian said, putting his hand on Hunter’s shoulder

Dinner that night was a joyful event; Sam joked that since Sebastian was the most powerful of them, he should make dinner and serve everyone, alone, using his powers. Sebastian joined the joke and agreed to do it, but only if Sam turned into a parrot and sang them a song; obviously, Sam couldn’t do it, so Sebastian dragged him to the kitchen, using his powers, and made him help out.

They were back in the living room after eating, just sitting around, talking, joking and playing the video-games when Kara screamed. She was sitting by herself, practicing her meditation, when, the next second, she was on her feet, screaming desperately like her life depended on it. Sebastian thought it was the most agonizing sound he’d ever heard, but ran to her side with Sam and Amanda to calm her and understand what had happened.

They sat her in the couch and Tina brought her a cup of tea, just so she had some warm to hold; her hands were shaking and she was crying. She eventually calmed down and controlled her sobs, and said

“So much pain, I’m sorry, I couldn’t break it this time?”

“Break what, Kara? What did you see?” Sam asked, gently

“The vision – she said – Normally I can break it whenever I want, but this time I couldn’t. I was stuck and there was so much pain” she took a sip of the warm tea before continuing

“I was on a field, or a glade, we were all there. And there were more people, people I didn’t know, dozens. And I think that we were fighting them, because I can’t imagine what else could cause so much pain and sadness, and I tried to run, to get out of there, but someone held me and said…” she stopped

“Said what?” Sebastian said, curiously

“You will see this and tell them it’s inevitable” she said and started crying again

They waited patiently until she calmed herself again, and Tina asked “Was there anything else?”

“Yes – Kara said, looking up – Someone arrived. I didn’t see his face, but it was definitely a man. He was…well, flying, but not like you, Kurt, he didn’t have wings. He just landed there, coming from the sky, and everyone stopped to look at him. And the vision began getting blurred, like it does when there’s an important choice to be made. He raised his hand and pointed it directly at me, like he knew I was there, and I felt I was being pushed back, out of the vision, but I wanted to see who he was but he pushed harder and it hurt me…that was when I snapped back here” she finished

They sat in silence for a moment and Kurt placed a caring hand in Kara’s shoulder and asked, gently “And you have no idea who that was?”

She shook her head “No, sorry. But I felt like he _knew me._ I mean, I think he said something, to me, but I don’t remember and I don’t even know if it was he that was saying something or you guys here”

She started crying again and Kurt took the seat next to hers, and hugged her with his arms and his wings “It’s okay, dear. No one can hurt you here”

“I know, I know – she said, hugging him back – I’m just being silly”

Blaine interjected “There’s nothing silly about that. Silly would be if you ignored what you saw and what you are feeling”

“Thank you – she said – I hate being afraid”

“Fear is the wisest feeling we have – Blaine said, offering his hand to her – But, if you want, I can push your fear away for the moment, so you can sleep peacefully tonight”

She smiled and took his hand “Thank you” she whispered

“Not a problem” Blaine said, smiling and concentrating on her feelings, removing her fear and replacing it with peace and happiness.

Sebastian pulled Sam and Hunter to a corner, so they could talk privately, and asked in a low voice

“What do you guys think?”

“I don’t know, man – Sam answered first – that looked pretty messed up”

“Yes, it did – Hunter said – but I think we can agree that this thing, this guy the professor mentioned, will get the fight he wants. And I believe Kara is right and we will all be there”

“Yeah, me too – Sebastian said – and, for what I gathered, it will come down to this mysterious guy Kara saw”

“Do you mean that our fates, and possibly the world’s, rest on the hands of one guy and his decision?” Sam asked, concerned

“I believe it will” Hunter said

“The question is – Sebastian said, serious – who and where is he?”

 


	5. Individual Sessions

 

Kurt woke up early the next morning. He had a trouble time trying to sleep due to Kara’s vision; he could see, with his new found talent, that is truly disturbed her. If it wasn’t for Blaine, she would probably have stayed up the whole night.

Kurt then began thinking about that boy Blaine; how he looked so eager to make friends and get to know everybody, in a way that made Kurt think he never had friends until coming to the school. He felt for the boy, as he had gone through the same things until the professor came to visit his house; no one wanted to be friends with the boy with chicken wings on his back.

But Kurt paid more attention to Blaine than that: he noticed the cute way his curls kept falling on his face; how his hazel eyes sparkled when he described the things that interested him; the wisdom he displayed when discussing his powers; the little twitch, he probably didn’t know he had, in his hand. Kurt noticed all that and more, and it only made him want to know the boy better. But he pushed those feelings aside; they had a mission and he couldn’t be distracted by dating problems during his training.

He ate breakfast alone, since they were all sleeping, and went to the training area. He was practicing how to take off without a ledge to jump off of, but it took too much and made his wings and back muscles hurt. But he did it anyway, flapping his wings vigorously until he was high enough to let himself fall and gather enough speed to fly at will. Now it was easy, he just had to slightly bend one of his wings when he needed to turn or rise higher or get lower; he practiced flying through the hoops and doing loops and backflips. He flew for hours until he was tired enough to take a break; and he practiced his landing. He wanted to land as smooth as possible, but he still made a mess of himself every time he tried; this time was better, he managed to land on his both feet and not on his face, like he used to, but it was still rough and it made his knees hurt.

He walked back to the living room and spotted Santana in the kitchen, and joined her for a cup of coffee

“How you doing, baby angel?” She asked, offering him a mug

“I’m fine but my wings are killing me” Kurt said, accepting the drink

“That’s the first I hear that and it doesn’t come from an on-stage Drag Queen” Santana said, jokingly

Kurt laughed too and asked “How about you, going to practice some lightning bolts?”

She smiled “Nah, not today. I feel like hurricanes today, and I might throw some hail in there too”

Kurt raised his eyebrows “Whoa, tough night?”

“No – Santana said, smiling – just my regular loving self” and, with that, she left to the training area.

She walked into the vast room and stood still in the middle of it for a moment, taking deep breaths and focusing. She slowly raised her arms and white light poured out of her eyes; the wind became alive around her and clouds simple appeared above her head, dropping small pieces of ice as the small tornado took shape around her. He raised her arms a little higher and the wind became stronger and she felt her feet slowly leaving the ground; she raised her arms even higher and completely left the ground. She rejoiced for a second but the unfocused moment led to an accidental backflip that ended with her face on the floor, the hail and the wind slowly subsiding.

She laughed alone and tried again, much more successfully. She tried to fly horizontally but it was still a no deal, so she eventually got bored and did practice some lightning bolts. A few moments later she was bored again, so she made it snow just so she could lie down and make snow angels on the floor. The snow reminded her of her last days with her grandmother, until she sadly past away and she had to live for months with foster care until the professor came to rescue her, showing that she didn’t need to hide anymore.

She jumped out of the memory lane train clapping her hands; she got up and created another small tornado to clean the snow away, before leaving the training are and went back to the living room, to find most of her friends having breakfast. She engaged in a pleasant conversation with Tina and Amanda who were discussing the possibility of teleport with the shield

“Hey, I got an idea – Santana said – what if you made not a spherical shield, big word, but a like plain one and I can maybe lift you with a tornado or something?”

“I don’t think I can do that – Amanda said, smiling – and I’m not sure it would work, but I liked the idea. It would be fun”

Tina left the two of them talking and excused herself; her brother Mike and she had made a bet and they were in time to prove who was definitely faster.

“Hey, big brother – she called him – excuse us, Sam, but there’s a bet we need to finish”

Mike turned from a discrete conversation with Sam and said “Yeah, sis, in a second. I’m kinda busy here”

“No, come on, the training area is empty – she said, pouting – afraid to lose?”

Mike rolled his eyes and said “Fine, let’s go – and added, turning to Sam – can we finish this later?”

Sam laughed “Hell, no. I’m going with you”

The trio walked to the empty training area and Sam asked “All right, what is the bet?”

“Tina believes she can get on the other side of the training are faster than me” Mike explained, with an endearing voice

“Well, she does teleport herself” Sam said

“Not that fast – Mike said – I can beat her in a short distance”

“Does a football field distance is short enough for you, Mikey?” Tina asked, smiling

Sam walked to the end of the training area, the distance of a football field, and yelled “Okay, the first one to get here will win…whatever you agreed on”

Tina and Mike took their places, smiling and Sam counted down “Three…two…one…NOW”

Mike sprinted at full speed and Tine closed her eyes; the sound of air being violently dislocated echoed through the cave-like area. Mike stopped right beside Sam, only to be greeted by Tina’s condescended smile and Sam’s “I’m sorry” face.

“Sorry, little bro – Tina said, walking away – but pizza is on you” she teleported out of the room and left the two of them alone.

“So, where were we?” Mike asked Sam, smiling

“I remember – Sam said, looking Mike straight in the eye – You were apologizing for ignoring my letter. No, wait, you didn’t ignore it, you accidentally threw it away” his tone was acid and he didn’t expected Mike’s response before walking away

“Wait – Mike said, holding Sam’s arm – that is not what happened”

“Then what did, Mike? – Sam asked harshly, fighting away the tears – What did happen, I’m dying to know”

“I…I didn’t…I wanted to…” Mike struggled with his words

Sam smiled, tearful “That’s what I thought” he freed his arm from Mike’s hand and walked away, resigned

He ran into Hunter on his way out; Hunter looked at his face, then behind his shoulder, to Mike who was still standing on the end of the area, and asked

“Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s peachy – Sam said – now, if you’ll excuse me” he tried to brush past Hunter, but the boy stood his ground

“Hey, look at me – he said, and continued once Sam did – if you need me to talk or anything, you let me know, okay?”

Sam looked back at Mike and said “Could you burn his sorry ass into ashes?”

Hunter laughed “I could, but why should I?”

Sam shook his head “It doesn’t matter. Not anymore, I think. I’ll talk to you later” he walked away and this time Hunter allowed him to.

Hunter walked to the center of the area and prepared to train; he only stopped Mike from leaving, by raising a huge piece of ground to block the door, and said with a low and calm voice

“If you hurt my friend again, or make him cry, by whatever reason, I promise I will cause you the worst pain you’ll ever feel. Are we clear?”

“Hunter – Mike said, pleading – you don’t under…”

“Are we clear?” Hunter cut him off

“I…yes, we are” Mike said, looking down

“Good – Hunter said and lowered the ground so Mike could leave – now get the hell out of my sight”

Hunter breathed relieved once Mike was gone; he liked him, well, he didn’t have anything against him. Mike was, as far as he could tell, a normal guy with his heart in the right place. He had no idea what was going on between him and Sam, but no one would make his friends cry and get away with it.

Hunter pushed these thoughts away, he would deal with this later; now, it was his time to practice. He created a fire ball in his right hand and held it there, just looking at it. Of all the four elements, fire was his favorite; Objective, simple, pure and impossible to contaminate. With his other hand, he pulled the fire ball until it was a chain, linking his two hands; he breathed again and broke the chain, now holding one fire ball in each hand. He stomped his right foot on the ground and made a rock pillar rise from the ground; he kicked it with his other foot, making a perfect hole in the middle of it. Taking a few steps back, he used the hole as a target for the fire balls and rocks he decided to throw, for a few minutes.

He then stopped and decided it was time to practice the other two elements, water and air, his least favorites. They were very inconstant and stubborn and controlling them was a difficult task; he walked to the pool and pulled a string of water from there. Manipulating it, he created a circle of water at his feet and, never stopping moving his hand, he made it spread tentacles of water. He controlled each one of them and made them grab rocks and threw them around, just for fun. When he was tired of it, he froze his creation and threw it away too.

Walking back to the center of the room, he waved his hands in a small circle and made a ball entirely of air and hopped on it; twirling it around, he glided over the area like it was some bizarre monocycle.

“If it isn’t Aang, the last Airbender, in the flesh” a voice said from behind him; the scare made him lose his focus and he fell, not hitting the ground with his face by an inch, some force holding him in the air. He felt the force pulling him to his feet and dragging him to the door, were Sebastian stood, smiling and with his hand raised

“Sebastian – Hunter said, surprised – you scared the hell out of me”

“I’m sorry – Sebastian said, placing Hunter gently on the ground – it was never my intention. I just heard the distinct sound of rocks being tossed around and came to see if you needed any help with that”

“I can see why – Hunter said – it was how we first met”

“You remember?” Sebastian asked, matching Hunter’s initial surprise

“Of course I do – Hunter said, trying to sound offended – it causes an impression on a guy throw a rock through a fire hoop across the courtyard. And it was last week”

Sebastian laughed “Gosh, it feels like much more.”

“It does” Hunter agreed, standing next to Sebastian with his hands on his pockets

“I saw Sam crying on my way here. Do you know what happened?” Sebastian asked

“Not everything – Hunter said – something to do with runner boy”

“Mike? – Sebastian said – Never figured him for the type”

“Me neither” Hunter agreed

They stood in silence for a minute, until Sebastian asked suddenly “Have you decided yet?”

“Decided what?” Hunter asked back, looking up

“What you want” Sebastian said, looking down to meet Hunter’s eyes

“I…I think I did – Hunter said – but there’s a problem”

“And what would that be?” Sebastian asked, stepping closer

“He needs to want me too” Hunter said simply, also stepping closer

“I think he does” Sebastian whispered, placing his hand on Hunter’s cheek.

They close their eyes and acted out of instinct, their faces approached and their lips were only inches way when a massive earthquake made them lose balance and fall like drunken men

“What happened?” Hunter yelled, panicked

His answer came in the sudden materializing of Tina, who also looked frightened

“The school – she said – we are under attack”

 

 


	6. Under Attack

 

Tina vanished as quickly as she arrived, leaving the two of them blushed and regaining their balance. Another earthquake made they fall back and Sebastian cursed. When they finally managed to get on their feet, they stopped for a second just to look at each other.

“We should go” Hunter said

“We should” Sebastian agreed

Neither of them moved.

“Finish this later?” Hunter asked

“Deal” Sebastian said.

They sprinted out of the room and met their friends running to the lift; Tina and Mike were already there, waiting for them. “What happened” Hunter yelled over his shoulder and Kara replied

“We were under attack. I had a vision but it was too fast, they decided it a few minutes ago”

“Then how the hell are they already here?” Cooper asked, when they reached the lift

“I have no idea – Kara replied – but I’m glad I had enough time to warn the professor. All the kids are on the safe house”

“So, we are free to kick some ass?” Santana asked but nobody replied

They got out of the lift and were greeted by the Professor and Regina, both of them looking worried and angry at the same time

“To the grounds” the professor said, simply, and ran through the corridor, with all everybody following close behind. They passed through the hidden door behind the faculty table and crossed the dining hall in a matter of seconds.

Before they knew it, they were back on the courtyard and it was on fire; the benches were destroyed and the grass had turned into ashes. A group of mutants was standing on the other side of the courtyard, just appreciating the view.

Hunter stepped forward and, using his powers, put out the fire; the professor walked to his side and yelled

“What do you want?”

A man replied “You know what I want, Robert. Now stand down and no one will get hurt”; Kara gasped and those who were closed looked at her

“It’s him – she said – the man who trapped me in my vision”

“Kara, my dear – the man said – I see you remember me. We had such a lovely date the other day, didn’t we?”

“Don’t you dare talk to my students, you monster” the professor said, with an anger no one ever heard in his voice

“Have it your way – the man said – grab him” he ordered and his followers sprinted towards them, screaming

Hunter stomped the ground again and a huge wall of earth rose from the ground, separating them from the enemies; Amanda stepped forward and created a force field around all of them, before turning to the professor and asking “Who do they want, Professor?”

“What?” the professor replied

“Who do they want? – she repeated – so we can protect him”

“I don’t know” he said

“Lying to them now, Robert? – The man’s voice reached them – what a terrible professor you make. You should have stayed with me”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about” the professor shouted back

The first few mutants managed to climb Hunter’s wall and kept running to them; Amanda braced herself, but one of the enemy mutants created and threw a giant block of ice at them. The impact was extremely heavy, but the shield endured it for a moment; the block exploded into tiny pieces, but the effort made Amanda faint, her nose bleeding profusely.

“No – Cooper screamed and, stepping forward – STOP!” he commanded it with his double tone and most of the attackers stopped dead on his tracks

“Continue” the man said, softly, and the attackers started running again; Cooper looked lost and turned to the professor for help

“Blaine, Rachel” the professor said and the twins went by Cooper side. The three of them held hands and closed their eyes, combining their powers to try and stop their attackers.

“Sebastian” the professor said again and Sebastian stepped forward, Hunter by his side. Using their powers, they began throwing their temporarily immobilized enemies to the other side of the wall, Sebastian with his mind and Hunter with strong gusts.

“Kara, go inside, and take Amanda” the professor said and Kara nodded, grabbing her unconscious friend by the arms “Sam, help her” Sam also nodded and grabbed Amanda’s legs, the three of them slowly making their way back to the school.

A loud pounding sound caught their attention; a crack on the wall appeared and, with a few other hits, the wall came down. An extremely muscled man stood on the other side, breathing heavily. The man sprinted forward and his steps caused small shakes and the ground, like a T-Rex was running towards them. Tina disappeared and reappeared above him; touching his arm, she disappeared again. They looked around but there’s was no sign of them; then, a scream caught their attention and they turned to see the man falling from the sky, straight into the lake. Tina reappeared by their side, smiling

“He was giving me a headache” she said

The clouds became heavy upon them and lightning began falling around, striking the attackers. Santana had her arms raised and her eyes were sparkling with white light and electricity. Mike was running around, punching the few remaining attackers at an incredible speed.

Kurt followed Tina’s train of thought and was grabbing attackers and dropping them at the lake; Ethan had disappeared inside the school to take care of Amanda; Sebastian and Hunter kept fighting back with all they had, Sebastian using his power to keep the enemies away and Hunter hitting them with massive rocks, fire balls and ice spikes.

The unmistakable sound of flesh being perforated made everyone stopped; Blaine let go of his brother hand and looked down to the 20 inch long horned spike that was carved right into his chest.

“Coop?” he said in a low voice, before falling to his knees.

“NO!” Sebastian screamed and a blast of energy exploded from him, knocking down all the presents, the rest of the wall and some trees on the nearby forest. He began rising, using his power on himself, and another spike flew towards him, shot by a man that created them from his arms; Sebastian stopped the spike in midair and shot it back with his mind, but the man was quicker, getting out of the way.

He shot two more spikes; one of them hit Hunter on the shoulder and the other hit one of Kurt’s wings, making the boy lose his stability and fall. Sebastian grabbed him and landed him gently, before turning to the spike-man and lifting him from the ground. They were both as high as the wall was, now, and Sebastian looked positively scaring with rage. He raised his hand and the man screamed, louder and louder, until Sebastian ripped out both of his arms using only his mind

“You will never hurt anyone, ever again” Sebastian said, softly; the man’s screams were deafening, almost of an animal. Sebastian raised his hand once more and, with a tearing sound, the man’s head was violently ripped from his neck; Sebastian then closed his hand the compressed all the pieces of the man’s body until one singular mass of flesh of blood.

“Hunter” Sebastian screamed and Hunter understood; firing a giant fire ball, Hunter ignited what was once the man and Sebastian used the flaming ball of flesh as a bullet, shooting it at the enemy leader.

The mutants, who were gathered around their leader, hurt and wounded, ran to escape the deathly blow, but the man simply raised his hand and the flaming ball vanished into thin year, with the faint sound of a whisper.

“Did you really think that could hurt me, boy?” the man asked; lowering his hands, the man took off, floating gently towards Sebastian. Not a sound could be heard, except for Rachel’s cries, as she screamed Blaine’s name, which only made Sebastian angrier.

“You killed my friend – Sebastian said, in a low voice, when the man came close enough – don’t you dare think you’ll walk out of here alive”

“That’s exactly my plan – the man said – too bad the same can’t be said about you” swiftly, he raised his hand, but Sebastian stopped it with his mind, the point of a sword inches away from his chest

“You’re gonna have to be faster” Sebastian said, grinning

“No – the man said – stronger” he slightly frowned his face, his muscles tensioned, and the sword broke free from Sebastian’s grasp, digging deeply into his abdomen. Sebastian looked down, not feeling any pain, just the warmth of his own blood soaking his shirt and dripping through the blade, he looked back up and smiled; raising his hand, he pushed the man away as hard as he could and fell into the darkness.

He woke up, to his surprise, on his bed, back on the underground. A glowing Hunter Clarington greeted him, sitting by his side on his bed, a caring hand pressing a warm cloth on his forehead

“You had us worried, man – he said – don’t do that again or I will personally turn you into ashes”

Sebastian smiled “Is that a promise? What the hell happened anyway? How’s Blaine?”

Hunter’s smiled faded a little, making Sebastian’s heart jump to his throat

“He’s fine – Hunter said, and Sebastian breathed relieved – Ethan patched him up in a second, he said his injure was not as bad as it looked, but he could have died without proper care. You, on the other hand…”

“What about me?” Sebastian asked

“You fell from…I don’t even know how high, man – Hunter said – Kurt flew with a broken wing to catch up, with me and Santana helping with the wind. There was a sword carved in your chest, millimeters away from your heart. Ethan spent almost twenty minutes healing you, and it nearly killed him”

“What? And he…”Sebastian jumped out of bed, but Hunter pushed him back

“Yes, he’s fine. He can heal, remember? But he couldn’t remove the scar, though.” Hunter said

Sebastian got up anyway and removed his shirt; a straight scar marked his skin right across the chest, like he had done a cardiac surgery.

“Gross” Sebastian said, walking away from the mirror.

“I think it’s hot – Hunter said, getting up an caressing the mark with the tip of his finger – manly, you know?”

“Have we gone from ‘almost kissing’ to ‘no shirt action’ already? – Sebastian asked, smiling – we skipped a few steps there, didn’t we?”

Hunter grinned with the corner of his mouth “Once I know what I really want, I go after it”

“Lucky me, I guess” Sebastian said, stepping closer, Hunter’s hand never leaving his chest

Hunter smiled and close his eyes, their faces inches away once again, Sebastian’s warm breathe on his lips, when a knock on the door made them jump away from each other

“Come in” Sebastian said, annoyed

The door opened and Tina stepped in, giving a high pitched scream with joy and running to hug Sebastian

“Seb, I’m so glad you are awake”

“Yeah, me too, Tina” Sebastian said, only half-hugging her back

“Now, come on, both of you – Tina said – The Professor is expecting us”

Tina left and missed the eye roll Hunter gave her behind her back; Sebastian chuckled and put his shirt back on

“Finish this later?” Sebastian asked, holding the door for him

“Yes – Hunter said, walking to the door – from exactly where we left on”

“Oh, already itching to see more skin, already?” Sebastian joked as they walked down the corridor to the living room

“Shut up or I swear I’ll turn you…” Hunter started and Sebastian finished for him

“…into ashes, I know. Promises, promises”

They arrived at the living room and were greeted by almost all their friends, the professor and Regina. Sebastian smiled and accepted most of the hugs that were giving, but specially Blaine, who hugged him with a big smile on his face

“I thought I’d lost you, kiddo” Sebastian whispered, pulling his tightly

“And I thought I had lost you – Blaine whispered back – but I’m thankful that we still have more time to annoy each other”

“Obviously” Sebastian agreed and they broke the hug to take their seats; The Professor clearly wanted to talk

“Great, now that you are all comfortable, I feel I have some explanations to give” the professor started

“Wait – Sebastian said, looking around – where’s Kara?”

All the presents looked down, even the professor who said “She was taken”

“Taken?” Sebastian asked

“Yes, by one of Conrad’s associates, no doubt” The professor said

“Conrad?”

“The man who stabbed you – the professor explained – that’s why he came here. To take Kara”

Sebastian sat back, in denial; he and Kara weren’t exactly best friends, but he liked her and cared for her. The professor took his silence and continued talking

“I had a feeling he would come for her. Seeing the future was always a personal dream of Conrad. And now, with his new agenda, it would give him an advantage, if he can get her to tell him about her visions”

“How do you know so much about him?” Mike asked, suddenly

“Conrad and I – the professor started – we go far back. The important thing is that we used to know each other as kids. He always had this dream of ruling the world and he wanted me to help him get there. Clearly, I refused and started this school to protect young mutants from his twisted ideas. But, as you saw for yourselves, I couldn’t save all”

“What can he do?” Sam asked, curious

“Yeah, he made a huge ball of fire disappear completely” Santana said

“He is able to manipulated gravity – the professor said – that’s how he is able to fly. What he did with that thing was create a small black hole to swallow it”

“Wicked – Sam said – I mean, bad. But cool”

The professor laughed softly before continuing “It is pretty cool – he joked, before continuing – but now he has Kara. That means he’s going to be a step ahead of us from here on now, so we need to be very careful”

The talk continued for a few more minutes, but Sebastian wasn’t listening; he was thinking about all the ways Conrad would use to break Kara, to make her talk. He knew she was a tough girl, but nobody could last forever, and the anger towards Conrad for him torturing his friend mad him sick of his stomach.

That night, when they were all sleeping, Sebastian left his room and quietly sneaked to the living room, where he was stopped by Blaine

“Going anywhere?” Blaine asked, like he knew the answer

“I’m going to find Kara” Sebastian replied, calmly

“You know I can’t let you do that” Blaine said, getting up and walking towards Sebastian

“You have to, B – Sebastian said – it’s my fault she’s gone”

“What are you even talking about? – Blaine said, angrily – You nearly died trying to protect us; you were the only one strong enough to get near that guy. You didn’t see it, but when he flew next to you, he knocked everybody down to the ground. Nobody could move, Ethan had to literally crawl to save me, but you…unharmed”

Sebastian hesitated “I didn’t know that. But that gives me one more reason: if I can get close enough to him, I can bring Kara back”

It was Blaine’s time to flinch; unknowingly he had given Sebastian a strong argument. He knew it was a lost cause from the start: once Sebastian made up his mind, it was impossible to change it. He looked his best friend’s face for a while, full of determination, and gave up

“Just be careful” Blaine said

“I will” Sebastian agreed, accepting the hug Blaine was offering him

“And come back, please” he whispered, fighting away the tears

“I promise” Sebastian said, breaking the hug. With one last look, he nodded and walked away, leaving Blaine alone and wondering if this was the last time he had seen his best friend.


	7. Intuition

 

“How could you just let him go?” Hunter screamed, circling Blaine with a fireball in his hand

“He did was he had to – Blaine said, simply – like either of us could change his mind”

“I could – Hunter yelled – if he’d given me chance”

“Well, he didn’t – Blaine replied, sharply – now calm the fuck down, or I will”

They were in the living room, Blaine standing in the middle and all the others sitting around, except for Hunter who was pacing like a maniac. Their friends’ eyes jumped from one to another like they were watching a tennis game; Blaine was explaining Sebastian’s decision when Hunter exploded and demanded to be told where Sebastian had gone, and now was revolted at Blaine’s ignorance on the matter.

Hunter took Blaine’s threat to heart and sat back at his spot, still breathing heavily, but trying to calm down

“Good – Blaine said – now, what we have to decide, is what to do next until Sebastian return”

“Isn’t it obvious? – a voice came from the corridor and all turned to see the professor walking in, decided, with Regina following close behind – We go after him”

“What? - Rachel said, getting up – You said he was more powerful than all of us. How the hell are we supposed to find him and make him come back?”

“That’s not what we are doing – The professor said, gesturing Blaine to sit down – we are going after him, not to bring him back, but to help him rescue Kara”

“Do we even have any idea where they are?” Mike asked

“Yes – the professor answered – I was able to pick up some information from Conrad while he was distracted with Sebastian”

“You mean when he was distracted killing Sebastian?” Hunter said, still angry

The professor shook his head “Anyway – he said – I have a good idea where he’s hidden and his numbers. I dare say we have a small advantage at the moment”

“And how is that? – Amanda asked – He has Kara and Sebastian is gone. Everything we have as an attack force is Hunter and Santana”

“We don’t need an ‘attack force’ – the professor said – what is need is to outsmart him, and that we got covered”

“So what’s the plan?” Sam asked

The professor smiled “I’ll tell you”

By the time he was finished, all the presents, including Hunter and Regina, had their jaws on the floor with surprise

“That’s…insane – Cooper said – if we are able to do that…”

“We are – the professor said – I have faith in all of you”

“Then let’s get going” Tina said, getting up

“Yes, we must leave at once – the professor said – grab whatever you need and meet me by the plane”

None of them had anything to grab, so they followed the professor towards the plane

“Don’t you think this is a bit precipitated?” Sam asked Santana, whispering

“Now that you said, yes – she said – I’ve never seen the professor taking action so fast. He always thinks everything too much”

“Do you think… - Sam started – no, it’s nothing”

They reached the plane and followed the professor, entering it through a side door. The inside was just like they imagined by seeing the outside: a long, hollow metal tube, with seats on the sides and the cockpit on the front. The professor and Regina took the pilot and co-pilot seats, Regina helping the others with their seats first.

“So – Cooper asked – where are we going?”

“Los Angeles, California” the professor said.

The wall on the far back of the hangar opened like a giant door, revealing blue skies with almost no clouds outside. The professor flew the plane through the opening and, once outside, it reached an incredible speed

“We’ll be there in a few hours – he said – try to relax”

Mike mentally high-fived himself for choosing a spot next to Sam on the plane, now he would have to listen to him, even if he didn’t want to. But it proved to be a difficult task since Sam was categorically ignoring all Mike’s attempts to initiate a conversation, until Mike finally had enough and grabbed his arm

“Will you listen to me, goddamit?”

“What do you want, Chang?” Sam replied, annoyed

Mike sighed “For you to listen to me, to understand”

“I don’t need to understand anything – Sam said – I get it.”

“Do you?” Mike asked, doubtfully

“Yes, you can’t feel the same way about me, isn’t it? – Sam asked, and turned into the famous actress he had with Hunter – how about now? Would you want me now?”

“No, you got it all wrong” Mike said, smiling

“Oh, so now I’m pathetic? – Sam asked – Is that the joke? Would you like someone else? Her, maybe?” he turned into a series of famous actress, one right after the other

“No, stop – Mike said, putting his hand on Sam’s face, making him turn back to his original self – I want you as you are”

Sam widened his eyes “I thought…you said…”

“When I said ‘I don’t want’ that sentence would end with ‘to leave my sister alone’. What you must understand is that she is all I have, and she will always come first to me. I would have said that if Hunter hadn’t come right that time. And I didn’t lose your letter, I hid it”

“So you…you” Sam was struggling with his words

“Am in love with you, yes” Mike said, caressing Sam’s cheekbone

Sam remained quiet for a while before saying “Why didn’t you say so before, you asshole” before pulling Mike for a passionate kiss

“Excuse me – Amanda said, from her sit – but is this the time?”

Mike broke the kiss and said “It’s now or never, sweetie”

Not too long after that, the professor yelled “We have arrived” and turned off the plane.

“Where are we?” Cooper asked, peeking out of the window

“Just outside the city, undetected” the professor said

“And how can’t the humans see us?” Amanda said, joining Cooper

“We are invisible, of course” the professor said

“Of course” Amanda repeated, opening the door and exiting the plane.

The city’s hot air hit them like they had just walked in a sauna; looking around, they took professor’s word when he said ‘out of city’, since the city could be seen only as a blur, miles away.

“I had a momentum, while flying – the professor said – that if I was Conrad and was looking for a place to hide that many people, I would go underground. The sewers end right here, so I figured we could search them first”

“The sewers?” Amanda said, disgusted

“Yes, is that a problem?” the professor asked

“I’m not going in the sewers, I just bought this shoes” Amanda exclaimed

The professor laughed “They are just shoes” he said, walking towards the large open entrance to the sewers

“They are Prada, peasant” Amanda whispered to herself, before following the group

“Maybe Hunter can give us a hand here?” the professor asked, when they reached the entrance. The fetid water was coming out at a regular pace, but neither of them wanted to get their feet wet and filthy

“Sure thing, boss” Hunter said, stepping forward. Motioning with his hands, he pushed the water to the sided, making a hall for the group to pass

“This is a first – Hunter said, once they entered the tunnels – manipulating shit. No mutant has ever done that, I bet you”

The tunnels twisted and turned and the group continued to follow the professor and Hunter who were leading; eventually, they were right below that city and it was too dark to continue, so Hunter lighted a fire in his hand.

They followed the central path, looking for any sign of another person passing there, when Cooper said

“Wait, where’s Rachel?”

The group stopped dead on its tracks. “What do you mean?” The professor asked

“She was right behind me – Cooper said – and now…”

“Wait, Santana is not here too” Amanda said

“And Kurt” Blaine said, looking around

“Could they’ve gotten lost?” Tina asked, scared

“Impossible – the professor said - Hunter’s fire is the only light here.”

“So, you are saying…” Ethan said

“Yes, we are being watched. And they were taken” - The professor whispered

“What do you mean taken?” Hunter said

“I don’t know – the professor said – maybe Conrad has someone with this particular talent, stealth”

“Can’t you explore the tunnels with, you know, your mind? See if we’re close to, like, somewhere?” Sam said

“Not without risking being discovered – the professor said – my mind’s touch is not easily ignored. But maybe Blaine…?”

“I got it” Blaine said, stepping forward and closing his eyes.

He expanded his aura past his friends, he could feel their anxiety and fear, but ignored those and searched farther for any other emotion that would indicate another person there. When he was about to lose hope, he felt the touch of more auras, some familiar and others new.

“This way” Blaine said, still with his eyes closed, walking forward in the tunnel. Hunter followed him, grabbing his arm so he wouldn’t fall, and the group following behind.

They walked for about half a mile in the sewers until they arrived in what seemed like a hall; a central circular room, with other circular openings to more tunnels disposed along the wall. In the center, strapped to a chair, was Kara, her head was down, her entire body covered in blood and bruises

“Kara!” Ethan yelled and ran towards her, his hands already glowing to heal her. Falling to his knees, Ethan pressed his hands against Kara’s chest and forehead and the light seemed to pass from him to her. For a moment, it looked like it wasn’t working, but a few seconds later the blood retreated to her veins, the bruises disappeared and she took a deep breath before raising her head.

“Ethan” she said softly, smiling at him

The light from his hands faded and he smiled at her; Hunter joined them and with the fire from his hands broke the ropes that were binding her

“What happened?” Hunter said, helping her get up

“That man – she said – he took me from the mansion and knocked me out. Next thing I knew I was here, and he was sitting right in front of me, asking me about the future. I told him nothing, so he hurt me.”

Tina teleported herself to Kara’s side, holding her as she cried “I’m so sorry” she repeated as Kara tried to regain control over herself; once again, Blaine held Kara’s hand to calm her, controlling her feelings.

Cooper looked around, they were all there next to Kara, except the professor and Amanda. Before he could call them, he noticed a corridor with barred rooms, like cells, in it. He called Hunter and the both of them ran there to find Rachel, Kurt and Santana unconscious on the floor of one of the cells. Lighting his fire again, Hunter broke the door and ran to them. They didn’t seem harmed, so a few light taps on the cheek made them wake up.

“Are you okay?” Cooper asked, helping Rachel up

“Yes – Santana said – some coward grabbed from the back and knocked me out”

“Watch out!” Rachel yelled and frowned; with a yelp, the man sneaking behind Cooper fell on the ground, immobilized by the pain Rachel was causing him.

“You little sneaky bastard – Santana said and, raising her hand, fired a lighting in his head – this should keep our friend out for hours”

“Awesome – Kurt said, patting her shoulder -let’s go find the others”

As Kurt said it, a souls piercing scream came from the circular hall; in a heartbeat, the five of them sprinted out of the cell and ran towards the main room.

Their friends were knocked out, lying around the room in strange positions, like they’ve been thrown away. Kara’s body was in the center of the room while her head was floating on a pond of water and filth; above her body, Conrad stood holding his sword, blood dripping from it.

“Ah – he said, looking at the new comers – you came to join the party?”

Motioning his hands, he made all of them fly across the room, in different directions. Rachel and Cooper hit with their heads on the ceiling and lost senses; Kurt managed to acquire some stability with his wings, but Conrad threw a brick at his head and he fainted; Santana and Hunter were thrown back into the corridor from where they came from, disappearing from sight.

“Can’t they see? – Conrad said to no one – I’m just trying to help them, all of them, all of us”

“You have a funny way of showing it” a voice came from behind him; turning around, he saw it was the professor, walking like he owned the place

“Robert, what a surprise” Conrad said, guarding his sword

“Don’t try to act, you are terrible at it” the professor said

“Now, don’t say that – Conrad replied – I managed to fool everyone so far, haven’t I?”

“But no more – the professor said, placing his fingers on his temple and expanding his mind – it’s time you step away”

“No, Robert – Conrad said, putting his hands on his head, trying to fight the Professor’s influence – I did everything you asked me”

“Yes, you did – the professor intensified his influence and Conrad fell on his knees, still holding his head on his hands – now pick up that sword of yours and do us all a favor by cutting of your head”

“You can’t make me do that!” Conrad spilled, his eyes rolling back to his head

“Yes I can” the professor said, staring and imposing his thoughts over Conrad’s; the man reached for his sword, his muscles tensioning as he tried to fight the interference. His hand gripped the sword handle and raised it high; with a quick but clumsy blow, the blade fell on Conrad’s neck. His head fell on the floor with and obscene sound of flesh meeting concrete; the professor smiled at the sight.

In a distance corner, invisible, Amanda held her hand against her mouth, horror in her eyes, trying not to scream again. 


	8. The Plot Thickens

 

The professor looked down at the body of his former friend, his last thought echoing in his mind

“ _You’ll never know what happened to your savior”_

His savior? What demented talk could that be? He didn’t need to be saved, the humans did. His shook those words away and put on the professor act again; he help each of the students get up and told them the story of how he and Conrad struggled and fought for their lives but he almost died. The only thing bothering him was Amanda’s look but he dismissed; she was probably concerned about her shoes or hair.

“So, that’s it? – Sam asked – we won?”

“Not quite yet – he replied – Conrad may be dead but his followers are very much alive and angry; they will stop at nothing to revenge him and carry on with his plans”

“What do we do now?” Kurt asked

“We go back to school, regroup and figure out our next move”

The flight back home was even quieter, only Amanda and Cooper exchange whispers on their corner as the rest of them enjoyed the view that was passing by incredibly fast.

As they landed and got out of the plane, talking loudly about needing a bath and a good night of sleep, the professor said

“One moment; Sam, Amanda, could you both follow me into my office?”

The two of them shared a curious look before following the professor out of the hangar; the rest of the groups went to their rooms to shower and relax, but Cooper asked them all to come back to the living room when the professor was out.

“So – Kurt started when they were all assembled back in the living room – what’s so important I had to cut my moisturizing ritual in half?”

“It’s the professor, guys – Cooper said – Amanda told me she was invisible, hiding, when Conrad knocked us all out, and she saw how the professor killed him”

“Yes, he fought for his life and won, so..?” Santana asked

“No, that’s the thing – Cooper said, getting up – Amanda said Conrad didn’t try to fight the professor. She said they talked and the professor entered in Conrad’s mind and made him kill himself. And the weird part is that Conrad said ‘I did everything you asked me’”

“No way – Blaine said, getting up – are you saying Conrad was working for the professor? I would have felt”

“Would you? – Cooper asked – You said you could protect yourself from his power. What if he can do the same from yours?”

Blaine stood still, confused by the thought. “So, what, he’s been plotting against us this whole time?” Ethan said, also getting up

“Not against you, my friends – a voice came from the corridor – For you, for all of you”

They turned around to see the professor, standing comfortably on the living room, smiling at them.

“So, you admit?” Cooper said, pointing a finger at him

“Of course I do – the professor replied – It’s about time you knew. I confess, maybe some of my methods were wrong, but my ultimate goal is to help all of us mutants”

“How could you help us by sending your juiced friend to kill us all?” Tina asked, also getting up

“Conrad went a little far when he tried to kill Blaine and Sebastian, but I already took care of him” the professor said

“What about Kara? – Rachel said – did she need to die too?”

“Kara was, unfortunately, a liability. She would eventually see me carrying on with my plans and it would all be ruined” the professor said, fake sadness on his face

“I’ve had enough” Hunter said, throwing a fireball at the professor. The ball stopped in midair about a foot away from the professor and exploded in a million bright sparkles.

“Sorry, Mr. Clarington, that’s not going to work – the professor said, smiling – Amanda”

Amanda made herself visible from behind the professor, a blank stare on her face as she held her hands up, holding the invisible shield around them

“Amanda – Cooper said, worried – what are you doing?”

“She’s fighting really hard – the professor said – but I’m afraid my mind is far too powerful for her” he smiled as he tapped his fingers against his temple

“Well, her shield can’t protect you from me” Rachel said, stepping forward and frowning with concentration

“Rachel, don’t – Blaine said quickly, touching her arm – this is not the professor”

“Very good, Mr. Anderson – the professor smiled – May I ask, how did you find out?”

“I never felt your aura – Blaine said – but I know Sam’s very well”

“Impressive” the professor said

“And how are you using them, may I ask?” Kurt asked

“My dear Mr. Hummel, I thought it was obvious – the professor said – their minds are weak, mine isn’t. But I’ll be too far to continue this, soon”

“Where are you going, coward?” Cooper asked, angrily

“I will answer your question despite your rudeness, Mr. Anderson – the professor said – away. I won’t tell you exactly where, but you will see me again soon”

Both Amanda and Sam fell on the ground after this, Sam returning to his normal self and Amanda with a bloodied nose; Mike and Cooper hurried to help them but, apart the confusion, they seemed alight.

“What happened upstairs?” Cooper asked, as they got up

“He confronted us – Amanda said – and did that mind thing of his and I couldn’t control my body anymore”

“Same – Sam said – and he used me like a puppeteer. I feel dirty”

Mike laughed before asking “Do you have any idea where he went? Any glimpse?”

“No, sorry” Sam said, holding Mike tighter

“But I do” once again, a voice coming from behind surprised them

“Regina?” Rachel said, in disbelief and Santana stepped in front of her, charging her lightning

“I know you have no reason to trust me – Regina said, raising her hands – but I’m on your side”

“So we are taking sides now?” Ethan said, pulling Tina away from Regina

“Unfortunately, we are – Regina said – and I’m on yours”

“And why is that exactly?” Rachel said, trying to step forward but failing as Santana kept pushing her behind

“Because I’m done with Robert and his schemes – she said, bitter – Twenty years of my life I spent working for him and twenty years he kept me in the dark. Always using me to discover people’s talents just to use them too, disposing of those who didn’t matter to him. I’ve seen enough”

She looked around the room, facing each one of them, some still skeptic, and smiled “Fine. Blaine, see if I’m lying” she said

Blaine immediately closed his eyes and expanded his aura, touching hers; what he felt was surprising: kindness and selflessness basic defined the woman, but he felt a burning anger towards the professor right on the surface. He instantly believed every word she said and retreated his aura, saying “She’s telling the truth, we can trust her”.

The room relaxed as the others took his word, she was on their side. “So – Cooper said – where is he going?”

“Washington DC – she said – he plans on taking the power to himself right on the source”

“Then let’s go” Ethan said, running for the plane

“There’s one more thing you need to know – Regina said, stopping them – he planned this. He is counting on you going there and plans on using you to his advantages, specially Sam and Blaine”

“Why us?” Sam said, letting go of Mike and stepping forward

“I know – Blaine said – I can control crowds and make them feel whatever I want them to. If he controls me and use my powers, he can make a large number of people believe on whatever he tells them”

“And Sam would be the perfect replacement for anyone – Regina said – he just needs to make him turn into a person the people believes and trusts”

They fell in silence for a while before Tina stepped forward and said “Oh my god, the president”

“That’s my guess also – Regina said – if we leave now we can intercept him before he gets there”

“How did he go, anyway?” Kurt asked

“He took the helicopter” Regina said

“Yeah, sure, the helicopter – Sam said – we should have guessed”

“I can fly the plane – Regina said – after all, I designed it. Let’s go”

Once again they took their sits on the plane, with Regina on the pilot seat and Mike on the co-pilot’s, following Regina’s commands. Before long, they were already on the air, heading west at maximum speed; Blaine was working as a radar, expanding his aura as far as he could trying to catch a glimpse of the professor’s emotions, is he was nearby, while Regina taught Mike how to operate the radar. All eyes were glued on the small windows, just in case both Blaine and the radar missed anything.

Not even an hour later, Blaine yelled “I got him”

“Where?” Regina asked

“Just a couple miles ahead, I felt him for a moment but he blocked me out” Blaine said

“But he didn’t block the radar – Mike said – I found him too”

“Can you open the door?” Santana asked

“I can – Regina said – but why?”

Santana’s eyes sparkled with the white light “I’m taking him down” she said

Regina nodded and pressed a button on the dashboard; the side door slid open and Santana stuck her head out, raising her arm. The clouds immediately became dark and heavy and lightning jumped from one to another; twirling her hand, she created several hurricanes around the professor’s helicopter, making it shake and lose stability, but it resisted bravely.

Groaning, she raised her hand again and created a lightning storm around it, making them hit the helicopter. Finally, one succeeded and the helicopter’s engine burst in flames and it began spiraling down, out of control.

As the group celebrated and Santana ended the storm, Tina froze; with a yelp, she vanished in thin air, teleporting away.

“What happened?” Ethan asked, scared

Then a voice spoke, in their minds

“ _That’s was an impressive attempt, Ms. Lopez. But I’m afraid you will all have to do much better”_

Regina groaned and initiated the landing; they were over a forest and she landed the plane in a clearance, on the other side of the flaming wreckage that was the helicopter. They got out as soon as the plane hit the ground, to find the professor standing calmly, with an emotionless Tina by his side.

 

“Very good, indeed – the professor said – I’m glad to see how you have all become such a united group. But, if you’ll excuse me, Tina and I have somewhere else to be. Tina?”

Tina stood still, her face still empty, but not moving a single muscle

“Tina, let’s go” the professor repeated but Tina remained still. Frustrated, the professor looked around and was surprise the see the smile on the faces of the Anderson brothers, the three of them holding hands

“We may not be able to control you – Blaine said – but we can control Tina”

“So, is this a battle of influence? - the professor asked – you think you can overpower me?”

“Alone? No – Rachel said – But together? Hell yeah”

The professor groaned and said “Fine”; placing his finger on his temple, he focused and Rachel felt herself being pulled. She lost grip of her brother’s hand and found herself being held from behind by Hunter, his face empty and a fireball inches away from her face.

“No” Amanda screamed and raised her hands; a shield was formed between Hunter and Rachel, pulling them apart and trapping Hunter inside “You won’t hurt anyone else”

“I never planned that – the professor said – but my friends might” he whistle briefly, twice. From the woods, dozens of other mutants walked out, slowly and ready to fight

“How are you controlling all of them, you don’t have the power to do that” Regina said, surprised

“I’m not – the professor said – they are here out of their own free will. They actually heard my goals and agreed with me, unlike you hypocrites”

The group braced themselves for a fight; freed from the professor’s control, Hunter prepared his fireballs and Santana’s eyes were already pure white when a massive force pushed them all to the ground. Both the students and the professor’s lot were forced to the ground, the trees bent down and even the ground itself caved.

“Enough” said an angry voice from above

Blaine twisted himself as best as he could, trying to look up, but the force holding him against the ground was too strong; all he saw was a young man, slowly descend until his feet touched the ground, his arms slightly open and the palm of his hands turned up.

He expanded his aura until it touched the man’s and was overwhelmed by the massive amount of rage and hurt; they were so intense he almost retreated back to his own self when a glimpse of sadness caught his attention and the familiarity of it made him lose his breath

“Sebastian”


	9. Once And For All

 

“Sebastian, what are you doing?” Blaine struggled to ask; Sebastian’s power still holding all of them down to the ground.

Sebastian didn’t answer; he slowly walked towards the professor and raised him from the ground without using a single muscle. He threw the professor in the middle of the clearance and his body fell with the obscene noise of bones breaking.

“Who do you think you are?” The professor shouted, angrily and freed from Sebastian’s powers

Sebastian didn’t answer again; instead, he twisted his fingers and the professor flew again, hitting his back on a tree.

“No” the professor said raising his fingers to his temple. Sebastian giggled darkly once before making the professor fly again; he hit his back against another tree and only there Sebastian spoke

“Do you really think you can use your pitiful mind tricks with me? Do. You. Think. I. Am. That. Pathetic?” he punctuated every word with a subtle hand gesture, making the professor fly and hit trees and the ground while he spoke.

The professor managed to stand on his knees on the other side and, using his power and Sebastian calmly walked towards him, made Santana shoot a clumsy lightning bolt in his direction. Sebastian raised his hand and deflected it, sending it directly at the professor’s chest.

The man exploded in the air and flew across the clearance and into the woods; Sebastian raised his hand and brought the man back, making sure to hit him in every branch along the way.

He threw the man on the ground, bloodied and broken, and stared at his face

“Pathetic” he said, and turned around but a weak laughter made him stop; the professor was laughing at him, the sound wrong and grotesque

“You really thing – he struggled to say – this is it? You actually thing you can just kill me?”

“Oh, no – Sebastian said, smiling back – I will obliterate you” raising his hand, he made the professor fly again, but kept him floating just a foot away from himself.

For the first time, Sebastian frowned in concentration; the professor shook violently but didn’t move an inch. From the tip of his fingers, his skin began to disintegrate, soon followed by the muscles beneath it and the bones beneath those; the phenomenon spread slowly above his arms and his chest, like the professor was made purely of dust and now a strong wind was clashing with him, making small particles of his body scatter away.

Not long after that, there’s was no sign of the professor whatsoever; he was literally gone, not a single cell of his body left behind. Sebastian smiled “How is that for pathetic”.

Blaine tried to reach Sebastian’s aura once again, but the level of the boy’s anger kept pushing him back; he couldn’t reach Sebastian to calm him or to tell him he was there and it was alright.

The rhino-man who broke down Hunter’s wall back at the school when Kara was taken managed to get up; he sprinted towards Sebastian gathering all the strength he had and Sebastian would be turned in pieces if he hit him, which didn’t happen. Not even watching, Sebastian froze the man in mid run and laughed

“Really? Did you really think you could do that?” still laughing, Sebastian frowned again. The man’s fate was the same as the professor’s, his body completely disappearing from existence.

Blaine felt Sebastian’s anger grow even more and took over completely; Sebastian raised his arms and, screaming, lifted all of them in the air, including himself, the plane and some trees. He spun around himself and made all the rest float around him, like some sort of bizarre solar system in which he was the sun.

Blaine tried his best to take some control but he couldn’t do anything; he didn’t even know what was up and what was down anymore. He felt a hand in his and saw Kurt, violently adjusting his wings to control the spinning; he looked farther and saw Hunter on Kurt’s other hand, a thin stream of blood dripping down his face.

Kurt flapped his wings with all his might and they slowly made their way out of the confusion, until they were finally out of Sebastian’s influence and fell like rocks on the floor.

“What is happening?” Kurt asked, helping Blaine up

“I don’t know – Blaine answered – I never felt this much anger in my life. This is not the Sebastian I know”

Kurt slowly caressed Blaine cheeks, relieved from being able to save him, and Hunter got up, holding the cut on his forehead “But it’s still him?” he asked

“What?” Blaine asked back, confused

“Sebastian – Hunter said – he’s still there?”

“Yes – Blaine said – I mean, I think so. I felt his old self, buried beneath the pain and the rage, but he is there”

“Then I can bring him back” Hunter said, walking back to the mess of screams and disintegrating people and trees

“No – Kurt said, grabbing Hunter’s arm – you can’t go back there, it’s suicide”

“I have to – Hunter said, pushing Kurt’s hand away – I can do this, I must do this”

Neither Kurt nor Blaine had something else to say, so Hunter nodded at them and continued walking; with each step, the world seemed to be getting heavier and the laws of physics seemed to have abandoned the building. He walked beneath the flying people and the first wave of Sebastian’s power hit him, disintegrating his jacket and shirt and almost throwing him back. He endured it and continued walking until he was right underneath Sebastian

“Seb – he yelled – stop!”

Sebastian definitely heard him because he lowered himself until he was floating just an inch away from the ground; Hunter looked up to see his face and it scared him: it still looked like Sebastian, but that sparkle of happiness, hope, life in Sebastian’s eye was gone and replaced by an shade of blood red.

“Seb – Hunter repeated – it’s me. Hunter? Aang, the last airbender?”

Some of the original green seemed to return to Sebastian’s eyes, but he still looked down at him like he was something Sebastian wanted to crush; another wave of power hit Hunter and some of the skin of his cheek was gone.

Hunter raised his hand to hold the hole recently opened on his face “Seb, it’s me, its Hunter, your friend” he cried.

“I have no friends – Sebastian finally spoke – all of them betrayed me. All of them left me. I am alone, but no more, now they will all be alone” raising his hand, he made another person disintegrate and Hunter hoped it wasn’t any of his friends

“Of course you do, Sebastian – Hunter yelled – Blaine, Kurt, Sam, Mike, Cooper, Amanda, Ethan, Tina. And me”

“They abandoned me” Sebastian yelled and sent another hit on Hunter, making the skin on his bare chest disappear

Hunter winced in pain and shouted “We never abandoned you, Sebastian. We looked for you the minute you went away. I nearly killed Blaine for letting you go, I couldn’t live without you. Dammit, Sebastian, I love you”

He gathered all the strength he had left and stretched himself as high as he could; putting a hand on the back of Sebastian’s neck he pulled him for the kiss they never had the chance to give.

The world literally slowed down; the spinning mess stopped in midair, some people still twirling around themselves slowly. The trees began falling back to the ground and the people soon followed them, and Hunter deepened the kiss and held Sebastian’s face with both of his hands.

Finally, Sebastian responded to the kiss, putting his hand on Hunter’s unharmed cheek and licking his bottom lip; Hunter promptly opened his mouth to allow entrance to Sebastian’s tongue, moaning at the ferocity of Sebastian’s exploration.

Too soon they needed to breathe, so Hunter slowly broke the kiss but never let go of Sebastian’s face; he smiled wide at the sight of Sebastian’s eyes, the perfect shade of green back where it belong and that sparkle of life making them glow again

“I love you too” Sebastian said, out of breath and with his lips slightly swollen. He smiled too and pulled Hunter for a tight hug, but immediately letting him go as Hunter yelped.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry – Sebastian said, slowly caressing Hunter’s chest where the skin was gone – I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay” Hunter said, fighting the chill that came down his spine from Sebastian touch

“No, it’s not – Sebastian said – I could have killed you, so easily” he fought the tears that were beginning to form in his eyes

“But you didn’t – Hunter said – and that ‘easily’ part offended me, I’m a tough bitch, okay?”

Sebastian laughed in the middle of his cry, pulling Hunter in for another hug, this time more delicately

“I can fix that, if you want” a voice came from behind them and they turned to see Ethan, standing a few feet away, his clothes ruined but luckily unharmed

“Yes, please” Hunter said, walking towards Ethan and holding Sebastian’s hand

Ethan healed Hunter quickly, the skin he lost growing back and looking like it had never left; while Ethan worked on Hunter, others from their group began gathering around, all of them hugging Sebastian and saying things that embarrassed him, especially Sam. Cooper and Amanda came together, helping each other, just as Rachel and Santana. Tina and Mike appeared a few moments later, from the woods, explaining that both of them managed to hide during the professor’s beat down. Kurt and Blaine came last, the two of them blushing and holding hands, and smiling like nothing had happened.

“All set” Ethan said when he finished and Hunter got up, looking down at his chest

“How do I look?” he asked Sebastian

“Perfect” Sebastian said, unashamedly measuring the boy’s chest up and down with his eyes, taking his time on the defined muscles and the characteristic V-line of his waist

“Okay, okay – Sam said, loudly – let’s go or these two will make the beast with two backs right here”

“Where’s Regina?” Cooper asked, looking around

“Here!” her voice responded, and Regina walked out of another part of the woods “I hid from the professor; his influence was too strong with me”

“That’s okay – Kurt said – can you take us home, please?”

“Of course, if the plane is still working” she said

They found the plane a couple yards away from the clearance, upside down and with several crushed trees beneath it; Sebastian easily raised it and brought it back to the clearance, placing it on the right side this way. After a quick exam, Regina said it was still operational, luckily, and they could all go home now.

With a collective sigh, they all took their places once again, ready to fall asleep, what several of them did on the way back, except for Hunter and Sebastian, who talked in whispers and exchange fondling during all the trip.

Once the plane landed back on the mansion’s hangar and they all said their goodbyes, Sebastian found himself alone with Blaine in the living room

“Baby B” he said, the nickname he knew Blaine hated; but Blaine smiled and pulled him in for a proper hug, since they didn’t get the chance before

“I missed you – Blaine said – and I thought I had lost you, back in the woods”

“I promised I would come back, didn’t I?” Sebastian said, holding his friend closer

They broke the hug and Blaine smiled “Don’t ever to that to me again”

“I promise” Sebastian said and smiled back

Blaine nodded and hugged Sebastian again before saying goodnight and walking to his room. He closed the door and expanded his aura, looking for Sebastian’s, and was glad to feel that it had returned to normal, with a hint of amusement once Sebastian noticed his presence. He retreated and let himself fall on his bed, ready to sleep for four days in a row.

Sebastian walked back to his room, also ready to sleep, but finding his bed already preoccupied by a very hot and very naked Hunter, smiling playfully at him. Sebastian grinned in response; he opened the door again and put a sock on the handle. He wouldn’t be get too much sleep anytime soon.


	10. Epilogue

 

Blaine laughed quietly to himself, the next morning, when he saw the sock on Sebastian’s room’s door knob; he expanded his aura just enough to reach Sebastian’s and felt his happiness and peace; he smiled as he retreated it back. Sebastian deserved this.

 “What are you doing?” a voice snapped him back to reality; he turned around to see Kurt standing behind him.

“Oh, I was just…just seeing if Sebastian’s ok” Blaine said, stuttering slightly

“I guess that sock on the door means he’s doing pretty good” Kurt said and laughed

“Yeah, I guess so” Blaine said, blushing

Kurt tilted his head sideways, slightly, and said “C’mon – he grabbed Blaine’s hand – I know what might cheer you up”

He pulled Blaine all the way to the hangar and only let go of his hand to open the huge sliding doors that resembled rocks on the outside

“Kurt, what are you doing?” Blaine asked, a little uneasy

“Showing you how to proper greet the new day” Kurt said, offering his hand for Blaine to hold

 Blaine smiled and took it, but he wasn’t ready for the next move; without a single moment’s notice, Kurt let himself fall through the opening, pulling Blaine along with him. He screamed at the top of his lungs while they both fell through the waterfall, gaining speed as the cliff ended.

Kurt held Blaine closer and spread his wings; they swooped up, boosted by the speed of the fall. Blaine ‘woohooed’ in joy, making Kurt smile widely; they flew across the dawning sky, purple-ish but with a hint of silver in the horizon as they sun rose. Blaine looked up to see Kurt’s face, his concentration as he turned and flapped his wings to maintain balance during the flight, the way the morning sun light reflected on his dashingly blue eyes. Blaine felt something stir inside of him that was completely unrelated to the flight; Kurt felt his stare and looked down, smiling too, to look at Blaine and thought he looked like a puppy, his hazel eyes almost looking like liquid gold in the sunlight.

He stopped in midair, flapping his wings to keep the steady, holding Blaine by his waist as Blaine held himself against Kurt, crossing his arms around his neck

“It’s perfect – Kurt said – see the sunrise like this”

“I couldn’t agree more” Blaine said, looking straight at Kurt

The sun rose completely as they locked their lips, calm and tenderly, like it was the most natural next step for them

“Perfect” Blaine said, before kissing Kurt again, with much more passion

“Good morning” Hunter felt the soft whisper tickle his ear

He turned around in the bed to look at Sebastian, his hair all messed up, still some sleep in his eyes and the very visible hickey on his neck; Hunter caressed it with the tip of his finger, a hint of pride inside of him as he thought “ _I did this”_

“Good morning” Hunter replied; he shivered and pulled the thin covers up; Sebastian laughed and entered beneath the covers too, pulling Hunter closer to him, their bare chests clashing together and their legs intertwined.

“The big bad firebender is chilly?” Sebastian played

Hunter laughed and moved even closer, hiding his head in the crook of Sebastian’s neck “Shut up and snuggle me, it is way too early to move”

“After your performance last night, I’ll be damned if we ever move again” Sebastian said, playing with Hunter’s hair

“Thank you – Hunter said – but you were great too. I don’t think I’ll be able to walk straight for days”

Sebastian laughed again “That makes both of us”

“Now shut up – Hunter said – let me sleep. You’d better rest too; I won’t leave this room without a second round”

“You mean third round? – Sebastian asked – you finished me twice last night”

“Same – Hunter said – good to know I wasn’t the only one. Now, quiet”

Sebastian chuckled and held Hunter closer, closing his eyes and breathing in the scent of Hunter’s hair. He needed an anchor to keep his powers from controlling him, and Hunter was it. Even more, Hunter was his anchor in his world, and Sebastian loved him. Smiling peacefully, he fell asleep again as soon as he felt Hunter’s warm breathe ease up in his neck and he hoped it would be like this every single day for the rest of his life.

 

“What are you doing?” Rachel turned around to see Santana standing by the door, her arms crossed around her chest and head tilted to the side

“I’m trying to make a cake for breakfast” Rachel said, pointing at the recipe book on the counter.

Santana laughed; she eyed the mess of flour scattered around the kitchen, the couple of eggs broken on the floor and a mixed of all the ingredients on Rachel’s clothes

“I figured it – Santana said – too bad you have no idea what you are doing”

Rachel laughed, embarrassed, and said “Is it that obvious?”

“No, I’m just very perceptive – Santana said, and walking towards her – here, let me do it”

Santana pushed Rachel to the side and took the task to herself; Rachel helped the best way she could, doing exactly what Santana asked her to do. In no time, the cake was done and already on the oven. Santana sat on the counter to wait and Rachel stood in front of her, leaning against the sink

“That was impressive” Rachel said

“My abuela taught me how to cook – she said – you haven’t lived ‘till you try my enchiladas”

“Can’t wait – Rachel said – but, look, your clothes are impeccable. Not fair”

“Experience, my dear” Santana said, laughing; Rachel grabbed a handful of flour and threw it at Santana, who tried to protect herself, but failed miserably

“Oh, no, you didn’t” Santana said while Rachel smiled playfully at her; Santana took the last egg on the cart and threw it back, hitting Rachel’s back as she tried to run away.

Their little food war continued for a few more minutes until they were both as disgusting as the floor; Santana had Rachel pinned down against the counter, holding Rachel’s hands behind her, both of them trying to catch their breath.

Rachel’s eyes were wide; Santana looked deeply into them before eyeing her lips. Rachel stood up and pulled Santana in for a kiss, rough and passionate, their tongues already fighting for dominance before either of them had any time to think about it.

A loud beep brought them back to reality; they broke the kiss and looked at the source

“The cake – Santana said, out of breath – it’s ready”

Rachel cleaned her hands nervously on her clothes “We don’t want it to burn”

She took it out of the oven with the gloves and left it on the counter to cool down

“I think I need a shower” Rachel said, walking away; she looked back when Santana didn’t move and said “That was an invitation”

Santana smiled and followed her to her room; who could have guessed, Santana thought, as they took off their clothes and hopped in the shower.

 

 

Ethan woke up with a loud noise in his room; he looked around and discovered the reason. Tina was standing just beside his bed, smiling playfully as he tried to look normal while obviously still scared

“Sorry – she said – I thought you’d be up now”

“I am – Ethan said, relaxing – for you, I always am”

“That was extremely cheesy – she said, jumping on the bed next to him – but I like it”

She ran her fingers through his face and chest muscles and he laughed slightly from the tickles; he turned around and was now on top of her, still supporting his own weight as their lips came together into a kiss

“I missed you” Tina said when they broke it

“I missed you too – Ethan said – have you told your brother about us yet?”

“No – Tina said – but he have other things on his mind now”

“Like Sam?” Ethan asked

“Exactly – Tina said, rolling over so now she was on top – and we have the whole morning to ourselves”

“I like that idea” Ethan said, kissing her again and pulling the covers over their heads

 

 

“Good morning, sleepy head” Amanda said, caressing Cooper’s hair

“Hey, beautiful – he said, pulling her for a quick kiss – how did you sleep?”

“Great – she said – your tummy is far better than any pillow I ever had”

He laughed and got up “I’m gonna hit the shower, wanna join?”

“Have I ever said no to that question?” Amanda said, jumping out of bed

“I’m the luckiest guy in the world” Cooper said when Amanda passed through him and into the bathroom, looking at her back

“If you don’t get here in five seconds, I’ll start without you” Amanda said, turning on the water

Cooper hurried in, laughing as he joined her. Yes, the luckiest guy, he thought as she ran her hands all over his body.

 

“Are you ready yet?” Mike said, knocking on the door

“Just a second” Sam replied

“Come on, they are all waiting for us” Mike said again

The bathroom room door unlocked and Sam stepped out, all dressed and ready to go

“What?” he asked, looking at Mike who was staring at him.

“Your hair – Mike said – I love it when it’s kinda wet”

Sam laughed and pulled Mike closer by the waist “Thanks – he said, kissing Mike once – and I love when you are this aroused”

“I’m not…”Mike began, but Sam cut him

“Yes, you are – he said, pressing his hips against Mike’s – I can feel it”

“Let’s just go and have breakfast – Mike groaned – so we can come back and you can feel it properly”

“Deal” Sam said, kissing Mike quickly

They walked out of the room and greeted their friends, already sitting around the table and drinking their coffee. Everybody seemed happy and relaxed and the whole atmosphere felt like a group of teenagers on vacation.

When Regina walked in the room, all of them greeted her with muffled screams and a few ovations, cheering and singing her name. She thanked them and said:

“So, how are you feeling, guys? Everything alright?”

“Yes – Hunter said – but now that we killed all the bad guys, could we get like an Xbox or PS3 or something like that?” he joked

Regina laughed “Sorry, two bad guys, you only have enough points to trade for a basketball”

“Not true – Blaine said – Sebastian killed like all the other bad guys, so I think we have enough points”

Sebastian blushed and looked down as the others laughed

“I’ll see what I can do – Regina said, turning to leave – take the day off, guys. You deserve it”

She walked out of the room, leaving them to their breakfast

“Cake!” Sam yelled, excitedly, and looked confused when Rachel and Santana burst out laughing and asked to be excused

 

The doors of the lift closed and Regina pulled out her cellphone; typing the numbers quickly, she pressed it against her ear and waited

“ _Identification”_ the automatic voice asked

“Special Agent Grayson, badge number 17069, for Director Thompson”

The phone rang once and a man’s voice said “ _So how are we, Agent Grayson?”_

“On schedule, sir – Regina said – Targets 1 and 2 eliminated; subjects still unsuspicious”

“ _Good – the man said – let’s keep it that away. I hope you don’t screw this up again. This is the CIA; we aren’t allowed to repeat mistakes”_

 _“_ Yes, sir – Regina said – I won’t, sir”

The call was ended and Regina put her cellphone back in her pocket just as the lift stopped and the doors opened. She took a deep breath and stepped outside, she had work to do.

 

 

THE END?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've made it this far, thank you, it means a lot.   
> I hope you enjoy this crazy ride through the nonsense my mind creates and I hope you stick around for the sequel, because there will be a sequel, hopefully sooner than later.


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